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CNN SUNDAY NIGHT

One Year After Tsunami, Rebuilding Continues; Pope Delivers Christmas Greeting; Harlem Boys Choir Evicted; Proper Holiday Greeting; Grandparents Get Assistance When Raising Grandkids; Revisiting Children One Year Later; Leukemia Patient Has New Hope; Stress Reduction This Season

Aired December 25, 2005 - 22:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Coming up on CNN, the moment that changed the world forever. We are going to show you how last year's Asian tsunami is being remembered, and what's still being done to help the region recover.

The Boys Choir of Harlem gets an unwelcome holiday gift -- an eviction notice. Find out who's giving it and why.

And the 9/11 attacks, could this man plans and Hurricane Katrina took this boy's home. See how the spirit of giving brought their lives together.

Good evening, I'm Carol Lin at the CNN Center. December 25th and the spirit of the holidays is filling Christian and Jewish communities the world over.

Even in the combat zone, Christmas Day for American soldiers deployed in Iraq, presents from home, gifts, and sleep. And on the National Mall in Washington, the lighting of the menorah on this, the first day of Hanukah.

And in Moscow, an unimaginable sight during the Soviet era, crowds of Jewish faithful gathered near the Kremlin joyously and publicly celebrating the festival of lights.

But up first tonight, great pain and great sadness this hour. In towns and villages along the Indian Ocean, who could ever forget these terrifying images. Exactly one year ago, a deep sea earthquake sent a tsunami barreling into Indonesia, Thailand, the sub continent, and Eastern Africa.

It would be days before we would realize the staggering human impact. In all regions affected, somber events paid tribute to the nearly 200,000 people believed to have lost their lives that day.

Buddhist monks in Thailand and in southern Indian, where entire coastal villages were simply erased. Six thousand people died in this small town in Tamil Nadu (ph) state.

CNN's Atika Shubert is in northern Indonesia in Banda Aceh, one of the places most thoroughly devastated on that fateful day. Atika, what was the moment of the anniversary like?

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, a year ago, we were actually standing here in front of Aceh's great mosque. And we could see the mosque standing in its sea of debris and destruction.

A year later, all of that has cleared. The city around it is being rebuilt. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is also here in Aceh today. And he attended a separate ceremony, where at exactly 8:15 a.m., there was a moment of silence and the sounding of a siren. That is Indonesia's new tsunami warning system put into place.

And 8:15, of course, is the exact moment that the tsunami waves crashed into the coastline of Aceh, killing more than 160,000 people.

President Yudhoyono also gave a brief speech at that ceremony. And he addressed -- where he addressed the rebuilding of Aceh. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUSILO BAMBANG YUDHOYONO, PRESIDENT, INDONESIA: In a (INAUDIBLE) of this size, it is easy to see only ruin. But look past the rubble, you will see progress. By the roads that are being built, including one that will reach Malabo (ph), you will see villages slowly taking shape.

You will see markets brightening up landscapes. You will see children back at school and new teachers being trained.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHUBERT: Now later in this speech, the president also admitted that the reconstruction process here hasn't gone as quickly as many people hoped, especially for the half a million people who were left homeless by this disaster. In fact today, more than 60,000 people are still living in tents one year later. And that is a situation aid workers say is unacceptable, Carol.

LIN: Atika, what was it like for you to go back to the tsunami zone and see what recovery there is?

SHUBERT: Well, this has been a very personally affecting story, not just for me, but I think for any reporter who came out and covered this, to come here a year later and see all of that debris and destruction cleared away, and to meet again with some of the people that we met a year ago and see how resilient they are, and how much hope they have for the future.

It's really amazing to come back and see all of the reconstruction that's taking place, the thousands of homes that are being built, and the sheer will of many people here to build back Aceh, not just back to the way it was before, but in fact, to build it back better. That's a phrase that you hear quite often here, build back better. And it's something people here are really committed to.

LIN: Atika, we hear some singing behind you. Can you tell us what's going on right now?

SHUBERT: Behind me is Aceh's great mosque. And it's really an iconic symbol of Aceh. During the tsunami, it was literally sitting in a sea of destruction, debris, and death, frankly. There were many bodies here when we first got here.

As you can see, that's all been cleared away. And the mosque today is actually the center point for a lot of the ceremonies that are marking this one year since the tsunami.

Throughout the day, as you can hear, there will be prayers. And in these prayers, it's really an outlet of emotion for many of the survivors here have a very steely resolve to move on. But today, they can come to the mosque and have this outpouring of grief and mourning for the people that they lost, but also hope for the future as they rebuild back this ...

(CROSSTALK)

LIN: All right, Atika Shubert, thank you very much.

Coming up later this hour, CNN's Alex Quade, who covered the tsunami, joins me to talk about her visit back to the region a year later. That's in about 30 minutes from now.

Meanwhile, a worldwide appeal for peace and a prayer to unite humanity. Benedict XVI led Christmas events at the Vatican for the first time as pope. And just listen to this ovation.

(APPLAUSE)

LIN: Now that's the pope before an enthusiastic crowd, gathered to hear the traditional city and the world blessing. He warned against losing faith in a technology dependent world and continued his predecessor's custom of sending greetings in more than 30 languages.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE BENEDICT XVI: May the birth of the Prince of Peace remind the world where true happiness lies. And may your hearts be filled with hope and joy for the Savior has been born for us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Now Britain's Queen Elizabeth II less upbeat in her annual Christmas Day address from Buckingham Palace. The Queen reflected on the world's many tragic events this year, but she said faith motivated people to do humanitarian works.

Now today also marks something that happened, well, only four times in the last 100 years. The first night of Hanukah falls on Christmas Day. Ariel Sharon, fresh from a health scare, is advising his fellow Israelis not to overeat.

In Moscow, hundreds gathered near the Kremlin to light a giant menorah. And for the first time ever, the festival was celebrated at the Great Wall of China.

Well, you don't have to remind thousands of families tonight that many, many American service members spent this Christmas in harm's way.

Now they are deployed to dozens of countries. They're on board ships and in hostile fire zones in Afghanistan and Iraq. CNN cameras rolled Sunday when some otherwise tough as nails soldiers softened up for a little holiday gift giving in Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You need to be proud of what you're doing today and the statement that you're making to the whole world about freedom. Have at it, boys.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Man, this is cold.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Merry Christmas.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, yo, here you go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tupperware, whoo!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's eBay. You can't go anywhere without your teddy bear.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Merry Christmas.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Candy for the kids.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you. Merry Christmas to you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Merry Christmas.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We call him Craig.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Craig?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Craig.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yes, I love my teddy bear. I had to leave my other one at home. She's going to be two-years old in another eight, nine months.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Merry Christmas, mom.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Teddy bear's with me. Merry Christmas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Love and war.

And for those of you wondering what the Commander in Chief got for Christmas, our White House sources tell us the First Family unwrapped gifts at Camp David. And the president has some new clothes and biking gear.

Well, the president and many people -- many other people took time today to attend religious services marking Christmas. In the nation's capitol, hundreds attended a magnificent choral Eucharist at the National Cathedral. The service was broadcast live to a national audience.

Also in Washington, a 30 foot tall menorah towers over the National Mall. And tonight, one candle is lit representing the first day of Hanukah. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff was the guest of honor at Sunday's lighting ceremony. The national menorah is located on the Ellipse near the White House.

And in the Los Angeles area, a program aimed at reducing violence in one of the roughest neighborhoods. Dozens of people in Compton have taken advantage of the program. When they turned in a gun, they get a $100 gift certificate to be used at local stores.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

A.J. ROTELLA, LA COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPT.: We were surprised at the quantities that have come in. Last week, we had about 250 guns coming in. Tonight -- today, we're estimating over 400.

So we're getting guns from sawed off shot guns, to assault rifles, machine guns, machine gun pistols.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Well, there have been 68 murders in Compton this year. And that is up from 39 in 2004.

Well, a sour note for the Harlem Boys Choir this holiday season. The city of New York has served an eviction notice on the world renowned choir. Reporter Mark Doyella of CNN affiliate WNYW has those details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARK DOYELLA, WNYW NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Their sweet sound has sold CDs and wowed crowds for years, but this Christmas comes with an eviction notice for the legendary Boys Choir of Harlem.

WALTER TURNBULL, BOYS CHOIR OF HARLEM: The Boys Choir of Harlem is trying to get back on its feet. And that the Boys Choir of Harlem this Christmas season is singing for homeless children. And then, we're being told that we are being kicked out at less than a month's notice.

DOYELLA: Is the city wrong?

TURNBULL: I think the city's wrong.

DOYELLA: The city of New York's been the choir's landlord in essence since 1993, housing the group and its staff at this public school known as the Choir Academy of Harlem. But the city says the Boys Choir hasn't lived up to its end of the deal. Instructors failing to show up for classes and continuing questions about money problems and questionable staffing, all resulting, the city says, in an order to the choir to clear out by January 31st.

TURNBULL: We'll find a home. We'll find a home. Surely there are people out here who realize that when 98 percent of your kids graduate high school and go on to college, that there's something right.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: That was Mark Doyella reporting.

Well, lots more ahead this hour, including the holiday hurrah over seasons greetings. Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays? Well, the god squad sorts out what's right and wrong to say. It's our talk tonight.

Plus, Hurricane Katrina destroyed his family's home and his favorite pastime. But thanks to some good will and good hearts, this little boy's gotten quite a special gift this holiday season.

And the family, the gifts, and the extra calories. Are the holidays stressing you out? Well, stick around. Your moment of holiday zen. Later in this hour, my interview with Deepak Chopra.

You're watching CNN. And we're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Christmakah, two holidays rolled into one word, an alternative to Happy Holidays maybe or maybe it's just a cop out. That is the talk tonight.

This whole brouhaha over how to greet people at this time of year. Well, I talked to Rabbi Marc Gellman and Monsignor Thomas Hartman, who team up regularly on their cable TV show, "The God Squad."

Here's what they had to say about the holiday political correctness.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARC GELLMAN, RABBI, "THE GOD SQUAD": I'm actually thrilled it's Christmas, so this great manufactured issue can disappear. I've been looking everywhere for somebody who is mortally offended by being wished Merry Christmas. I just don't understand it. I don't see it. And my customary greeting is Happy Hanukah, Merry Christmas, you pick. Or you know, whichever one applies is fine.

I mean, and even if it's only Merry Christmas, I understand. It's a greeting that is being offered in the spirit of the holidays.

LIN: I know, it's been so politicized. It has been politicized.

Father Hartman, I mean, even at my daughter's school, they'll celebrate Halloween, right. The kids can walk around in costumes and get candy. But there's no holiday tree. There were no art projects. Nobody said boo walking out the door.

THOMAS HARTMAN, MSGR., "THE GOD SQUAD": One of the things in the First Amendment it says that the country can force a religion on a person. But it doesn't say that we can't exercise certain aspects of our faith.

Marc and I both believe that we don't want to have things that are in balance, but that we should allow things like manger scenes or Christmas trees in certain circumstances.

And each community has to look at that and make sure that it's including both religions.

LIN: Well, why have -- Father Hartman, why have Christian holidays become so taboo? Why is this such a touch subject?

HARTMAN: Well, the most important thing about a Christian holiday is that it's meant to be spiritual. And so, where most of the time we have like a corporate inventory, or a bank account, this is a personal inventory in which we're thankful for the gift of God being born in Jesus. And we also say are we measuring our lives by his life. Are we trying to love the way he would love?

LIN: Mm-hmm. But this is a time when, you know, people reflect and measure their faith, I mean, ask themselves do I really believe there's a God?

Rabbi, how can there be a God that says that Jesus is the son of God, and yet creates a faith that doesn't believe the same?

GELLMAN: Well, I think what you have now are people who are suspicious of religion. There's two big forces which have made folks who aren't particularly religious scared. And one of them is fundamentalist Islam, where people are saying, oh my God, the more religious a person is, the more likely they are, if they're a Muslim, let's say, to be a suicide bomber.

And of course, that isn't true. What is happening in Islam is not the result of Muslim teaching, but the perversion of Muslim teaching.

And I think the other thing is the renewed power and self confidence of evangelical Christianity in America. A lot of Christians are saying look, we're proud to be Christian. And we don't want to apologize about it. And some people who are used to a very secular public square are frightened. And there's no need to be frightened about that.

Evangelical Christianity is a healthy movement that reflects the rebirth of Christian self confidence. And I don't think it represents an attempt to transform America into a Christian nation, where all children will be forced to pray to the baby Jesus. It's just not true.

LIN: We just have a few seconds left. I'm wondering if either of you have thought about the coincidence that Hanukah and Christmas overlap this year? Father?

HARTMAN: Well, it's a wonderful thing. You know, so often, it happens in our community, which is highly Jewish as well as Christian, that the Jewish children feel as though they're losing out. They're not getting as many gifts and that. The greatest gift that we have is the spiritual message that God loves us, God will be there with us, God will direct our lives and raise our lives.

And if you teach that to your children, and you do that yourself to your children, everyone will be a winner.

LIN: Amen. Thank you both so much. Father Hartman...

GELLMAN: You're welcome.

LIN: ...happy holidays. Rabbi Gellman, happy holidays to both of you.

GELLMAN: No, no, no, no, no! Merry Christmas!

LIN: Merry Christmas.

GELLMAN: Or Happy Hanukah! Pick one.

LIN: And a Happy Hanukah. All right, I picked them both.

GELLMAN: God bless you.

LIN: God bless you, too.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Well, that leads us to our last call question. What do the holidays mean to you? Give us a call at 1-800-807-2620 and tell us your first name and where you're calling from.

All right, so your holiday's over and you're heading home from grandma's house. The travel forecast straight ahead. Also, grandparents who step in when parents cannot raising their grandchildren. Now the government's offering some financial assistance. So we're going to tell you where and how.

Back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Forget the sleigh. Skydiving is the preferred mode of transportation for this Santa. After jumping out of a plane over a Hawaiian beach, this fearless St. Nick handed out presents and then took a trip around the nearby lake in his special Santa kayak.

All right, so clearly the weather's not getting in his way, Monica, if he's getting around. But how about all the folks heading home?

(WEATHER REPORT)

LIN: Well, financial pressure, plenty of people know what that feels like, especially at this time of year. But some Americans are dealing with unexpected financial strain. They are grandparents, who for one reason or another are raising their grandkids.

Here's CNN's Gary Nurenberg.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For 14-year old Johnetta Brooks and her 12-year old sister Janay, it was a weekend for the Christmas tree and for goofing around.

JANAY BROOKS, GRANDDAUGHTER: Me and Usher together.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is he your favorite?

JANAY BROOKS: Yes.

NURENBERG: Janay Brooks 76-year old grandmother knows about Usher.

DELEPHINE JONES, GRANDMOTHER: He's a ladies' man. He got too many women for me.

NURENBERG: Delephine Jones has been raising the girls since their mother died six years ago on Christmas Day, becoming her daughters believe, an angel.

JANAY BROOKS: She died and then she went to a better place. And that place is called heaven. And that's where the angels come.

NURENBERG: Jones didn't expect to be raising her grandchildren. It's a stretch.

D. JONES: And I don't get food stamps. So I have to buy food, you know, for them. And they participate in a lot of things in church. And I have to buy their dresses and things that they need for special occasions.

NURENBERG: Jones' one of an estimated 8100 grandparents raising children in Washington. AARP puts the number at about six million nationally.

LINDA CROPP, WASHINGTON, D.C. CITY COUNCIL: If the grandparents didn't step up, then the government would have to take over these children at a much higher rate. And it would be probably with less love and care for the child.

NURENBERG (on camera): But grandparents like Jones haven't always qualified for the same levels of government assistance as foster parents. D.C. City Council has just changed that, allowing low income grandparents more than $700 per child per month. CROPP: Obviously if the grandparent could take care of their child, it keeps them out of the foster care system. And it also provides an opportunity for the children to know their relatives and to be in a family environment.

NURENBERG: Jones says the new aid is welcome.

JONES: As they grow older, they're going to need more things. And I'm trying to get a bigger place for them, because they're big enough. Now they have their own room.

NURENBERG: Washington is among the first cities to provide help to grandparents. But as Census figures show, an increase in grandparents raising children other city governments may follow.

Gary Nurenberg, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: The children of the tsunami, one year later. CNN's Alex Quade revisits the region. And she meets a little boy who wades through the water in search of fish to help keep his family alive.

Plus, an amazing story of another little boy, this one right here at home. How a group's good will helped put a smile back on his face.

And don't forget our last call question. What do the holidays mean to you? Give us a call at 1-800-807-2620.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: The headlines now today and tomorrow. Emergency crews near New York City are searching the Hackensack River for survivors after an EMS vehicle drove off of drawbridge. Witnesses say the accident happened in heavy fog.

Two American soldiers were killed in Baghdad today. Both incidents involved improvised explosive devices.

And President Bush's former secretary of state spoke out on Iraq today. Colin Powell says there would have been a far more difficult case for invading Iraq had they known there were no weapons stockpiled there. But Powell said he is very pleased that Saddam Hussein is out of power.

A volcano erupts 40 miles from Mexico City, known as "Popo." The volcano erupted before dawn Sunday. It's sent a column of ash two miles into the sky and spewed red-hot lava. No reports of threats to nearby communities.

Well, there were memorials around the world today to remember the more than 200,000 people killed one year ago by a massive tsunami. So, right now, we want to take you live to Galle, Sri Lanka, where there you're watching a moment of silence going on right now. Galle is the capital of Sri Lanka's southern province, and was one of the many beach resort areas devastated by the giant waves. Thirty thousand Sri Lankans were killed by last year's tsunami.

Now, CNN's correspondents brought back hundreds of stories of heartbreak and destruction in the weeks after the tsunami, especially from places like Aceh province. CNN's Atika Shubert returned to look at efforts to get things back to the way they used to be.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHUBERT (voice-over): Aceh is a broken land -- more than 130,000 dead, more than 30,000 still missing and half a million homeless. More than $7 billion had been pledged to rebuild its shores. One year on, the Indonesian province is finally on the road to recovery.

(on camera): This is Aceh's biggest reconstruction project, rebuilding more than 250 kilometers, or about 155 miles, of road washed out to sea by the tsunami. It will become the link between rural areas and markets in the city, but it could take years to complete.

We traveled down here to talk to communities alongside the road and ask them how the reconstruction process is really going.

(voice-over): Construction has yet to start. For the moment, the two-lane road is sometimes paved, sometimes not. More than 100 bridges need to be replaced; building crews struggle to get through with the monsoon season; ships deposited inland by the tsunami rust on the roadside.

Tent villages are common as are homes cobbled together from tsunami scrap wood.

In one such village, we find Zakarias. The tsunami swept away his home, his parents, his wife and two young daughters. He calls them his pocket family.

"I only have photos left," he says. "I keep them in my pocket, and carry them wherever I go."

This has been his home for a year now, sleeping in a bed salvaged from the wood of destroyed homes. He says new houses will be built nearby, but he doesn't know when.

"If you ask me, I think it's taking far too long," he says. "I'd like to say I'll be moving into a new house this month like they told me, but I'd be lying. I also can't say that they're not building us homes because they say they are."

There are many houses under construction, just not enough. More than 100,000 are needed; only 20,000 have been built. Fewer than 20 percent of those displaced are in permanent homes. The rest remain in the flimsy temporary shelters. Aid officials say the situation is improving, but more work needs to be done.

ERIC MORRIS, UNITED NATIONS: Maybe a few months ago, the common question from the tsunami survivors is where is my home? That's still the basic question, but now you're getting the same question, what can I do to take care of my family?

SHUBERT: This road was also an economic lifeline for communities here. In this village, more than half were killed, mostly women and children. The husbands and older brothers left behind are eager to work and forget their losses, but the broken road cannot provide jobs anymore.

"It takes all afternoon just to get into the city to look for work now, not including the money for transportation." Zakarias says. "With a home and some startup money, I'd be just as happy to learn to become a fisherman."

Even fishermen have newly donated boats, but only rusty salvaged engines to work with. Life in Aceh seems to consist of living off the scraps the tsunami left behind.

"I look for tsunami scrap all day, because I can't sit still," Zakarias says. "I have no family, so I go into the fields looking for wood to build a house and try to remember my wife and children."

For Zakarias, like so many others, the road to recovery is far too long.

Atika Shubert, CNN, on Aceh's west coast road.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: So you can imagine, one year later. Life after the tsunami is very different for survivors. Homes and families, everything swept away. CNN's Alex Quade reported from Banda Aceh, ground zero for the destruction. She went back recently, where she met a young boy with a smile that hides his secrets.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEX QUADE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is Hasmullah's secret way to catch fish.

HASMULLAH, (through translator): I chase the fish by bashing the water, I beat the water so the fish will come out.

QUADE: And this is Hasmullah's secret fishing hole.

HASMULLAH: At this location, there were houses. After the tsunami, there is water here, and no more houses. They were taken by the tsunami.

QUADE: The 13-year-old's relatives lived right here. They and their homes are gone.

(on camera): What do you remember about the tsunami?

HASMULLAH: I heard people screaming: "Water, the water is rising!" I wondered why. I ran. I saw my friends also running. Five of my close friends died.

QUADE (voice-over): More than 169,000 people lost their lives in Aceh, more than anywhere else the wave hit.

Hasmullah and his parents survived. His home, relatives and schoolmates did not.

HASMULLAH: There were many dead bodies everywhere after the tsunami. There are damaged houses and schools. It makes me feel unhappy and sad to think about it.

QUADE: Though he smiles, he says he hates this water, but he must fish to help support what's left of his family.

Today is a good day.

HASMULLAH: These two cost 5,000 rupiah.

QUADE: About 50 cents in U.S. dollars.

Fishing for a living after the tsunami is hard. Muck and debris choke the ecosystem.

HASMULLAH: Now, there is no place to fish. The water has gone deeper. It's not good.

QUADE All around Hasmullah, workers are rebuilding.

HASMULLAH: There are no houses anymore, many poor people. I feel sad. I still feel sad.

QUADE: The tsunami made 500,000 Acehnese homeless. Today, nearly 68,000 in this provincial capital alone still live in tents. Humanitarian shantytowns are going up. But rebuilding lives is harder.

HASMULLAH: It's not the same here. I don't enjoy school anymore. I lost so many friends.

QUADE: As he fishes, Hasmullah dreams of becoming a Muslim cleric, but worries he'll be stuck for the rest of his life beating the water that took his relatives.

HASMULLAH: I don't know why the tsunami happened.

QUADE: A year later, he is still afraid it will happen again.

HASMULLAH: It was scary. I'm still scared.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Alex Quade, back home in New York. Alex, just this boy's story is so heartbreaking. I'm wondering, how did you meet him?

QUADE: Oh, Carol, it really was. There were so many people that we wanted to tell their stories, and the funny thing about Hasmullah is we were just driving by, we were trying to get some video of the various reconstruction efforts going on, that the houses being built, the tents going up. And I see this child in water, and he's beating the water with a stick. And it was the most -- it was the most outstanding sight. I was trying to figure out, what the heck is he doing? I hadn't seed anybody doing that kind of a thing before.

So we beckoned him in a little bit, and talked with him for a moment, and he said that, you know, he is -- this is how he fishes, this is the way he tries to scare the fish and tries to get them with his hands.

LIN: It's caught your attention.

QUADE: It really did. And he had such the sweetest little smile, and he was just -- you just -- you just wanted to give him a hug. And he ...

LIN: It was kind of eerie that he was smiling while he was telling you this so sad story.

QUADE: It really was, and he was saying, you know, he really -- he hates this water, and yet he has to fish, he has to do this to help what -- to help support what's left of his family.

LIN: He's surrounded by it.

QUADE: Yes, and he only makes 50 cents a day, if it is a good day, if he manages to catch two fish.

LIN: Alex, you went back and -- you produced a whole series of stories. I mean, at least 10 stories about what's happening there now. I'm wondering for you, what was it like for you to go back to the scene of that disaster? How did you prepare yourself for it?

QUADE: Well, Carol, it was -- the first thing that we noticed getting off the plane is the smell, the smell was different. Death no longer is lingering in the air. We don't have to as journalists shove Vicks vapor rub up our noses or wear surgical masks anymore.

And one of the first places that we actually went to was to a mass grave. And you hate to say that this is, you know, one of the first place as you go to, but when we were first in Banda Aceh last year, right after the waves struck, there were bodies everywhere.

There were bodes everywhere you looked, everywhere you stepped. And so, one of the places we needed to go and figure out what has changed is at the mass grave, to see if people are able to put this behind them, if they're able to come to terms with the loss.

And at this mass grave, we met another young man, Wallace (ph), and he says that he thinks that 200 members of his family may be buried there. And yet, he doesn't know for sure, because they -- all these people were buried without identification, without ceremony or dignity at the time, and it was just all that they could do at the time.

LIN: You know, Alex, the fact that you could tell their story really shares with the world what is going on there, and brings attention to the problems, and how little rebuilding is happening for these people, and how much need there still is there.

QUADE: Well, and I think the other thing is that these are people ...

LIN: Yes.

QUADE: ... and even though they're very far away from where we live here in the States, these are people and they have stories, and just like we went through Katrina and the hurricanes here, they went through their own thing, and they're still suffering as well.

LIN: Alex, thank you so much. We look forward to hear -- seeing more of your stories. In fact, we want to invite our audience to join CNN's "PAULA ZAHN NOW" for more of our special coverage of the tsunami one year later. Monday, at 8 p.m. Eastern, only on CNN. And my thanks to Alex Quade for terrific work.

Still ahead tonight, Katrina robbed him of his passion, but with the help of a very special group of volunteers, this little boy was able to get it back. His story when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Say "Hurricane Katrina," and images of death and destruction come to mind. But that storm also created connections between people who otherwise might never have crossed paths. Elizabeth Cohen updates us on a young Louisiana boy and how he touched the hearts of people thousands of miles away. It is a story that first aired on "ANDERSON COOPER 360."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When we first told the story of Tony Nata, a 6-year old from Slidell, Louisiana who's battling leukemia, we had no idea what an impact it would have on this man, Jeff Parness, who lives more than 1,000 miles away in New York City.

JEFF PARNESS, NEWYORKSAYSTHANKYOU.ORG: We saw a wonderful story on CNN about the family -- my wife and I watched the video, and we just kind of looked at each other, said, how can we not do something to help him?

COHEN: Tony had a 50-50 chance of survival.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Take a deep breath. You have a chocolate face, man.

COHEN: He needs more chemo, plus radiation and a bone marrow transplant. He's getting the medical attention he needs, but he is doing it without a home. Hurricane Katrina devastated Slidell, including Tony's house and his fishing deck.

Fishing is Tony's passion. And at this point, it's the only sport he can do. But now Tony's living in a FEMA trailer, far away from his fishing spot. That's where Jeff Parness comes in. Jeff lost one of his best friends on September 11th. To say thank you for all the kindness he and other New Yorkers received, Jeff founded NewYorkSaysThankYou.org. They traveled around the U.S., helping other devastated communities.

After seeing our story ...

ROBIN NATA, TONY'S MOTHER: Jeff flew down with his organization and a group of guys and decided to rebuild our decks for us.

COHEN: And he didn't come alone. He brought New York City firefighters with him.

NATA: It's nice to meet you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm glad to meet you.

COHEN: And residents from Utica, Illinois came too. Jeff's group helped their community after they were hit with tornadoes. And this couple from San Diego.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi!

COHEN: Jeff's foundation rebuilt their house after it was destroyed in the wildfires of 2003. And locals here in Slidell helped too.

PARNESS: We had Slidell Lions Club, a whole bunch of 70-year old men who unpacked this 18-wheeler yesterday, 750 pieces of lumber.

COHEN: They all gathered one freezing cold Friday morning, tearing up what was left of the old deck and laying down the new.

And then, Jeff had a surprise for Tony. His fishing idol, ESPN's Jimmy Houston, best known for kissing the fish.

JIMMY HOUSTON, ESPN FISHING SHOW HOST: The biggest trout, show me about how long it is? Yes.

TONY NATA, TONY'S FATHER: But Jimmy was great, he was a class act. (INAUDIBLE) to everybody. He lives in his own little world.

COHEN: In just two days, they finished the deck. Tony drove in one of the last nails and then cast his line.

T. NATA: All of my heart, from all of our hearts ...

R. NATA: Yes.

T. NATA: You know this has been special, this is ...

R. NATA: So, Jeff, you know, we couldn't thank him more.

T. NATA: It's powerful.

R. NATA: Yes.

T. NATA: We're on our way. We're on our way back, you know. We've going to get back, and that's special.

COHEN: Now, finally Tony has this fishing spot back. Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Slidell, Louisiana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: And if all goes well, the Nata family will move back into their repaired home by early next year. And little Tony should be getting his bone marrow transplant in February.

Jeff Parness and his group expect to travel to tornado-damaged Indiana for their next project.

We'll be right back.

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LIN: For many, blue is the color of the holiday season. Family obligations, excessive debt, unrealistic expectations -- all can cause tension and stress. Earlier, I talked with author and spiritualist Deepak Chopra about ways to reduce your holiday's stress.

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DEEPAK CHOPRA, AUTHOR, SPIRITUALIST: It is a performance anxiety, you know. You have to meet so many people, you have to call so many people, you have to buy presents for so many people. You have deadlines, at the same time you're trying to balance, you know, your work with your family. And so, people just get too stressed out about meeting expectations...

LIN: Do you feel that way?

CHOPRA: ... that they worry about.

LIN: Do you feel that way? Because everybody expects you to be relaxed and at peace. I mean, that's a lot of pressure.

CHOPRA: Yes, I know. I don't feel that way, for me, really it's the same, and holidays are a time to relax and be happy and get in touch with yourself, and renew yourself and rejuvenate yourself.

LIN: How do you get to that place? Especially, if, for example, you do feel that pressure from your family to perform, or -- even if you're grieving the loss of a loved one, and the holidays remind you of that loss. How do you get through it?

CHOPRA: I think the worst thing you can do is be in denial, so if you're grieving the loss of a loved one, get in touch with your grief, you know, feel the sensations that accompany the grief in your body. Ask yourself, what am I feeling, what's the need here? Nurture the remembrance of that grief, and also, the person that you've lost. And in order not to let that totally overwhelm you, also put your awareness in your heart and experience all the things that you could be grateful for. Just ...

LIN: How do you ...

CHOPRA: Just think ...

LIN: How do you ...

CHOPRA: ... just think...

LIN: How do you get to that place, though? I mean, how do you believe in prayer, do you believe in meditation, or just simply slowing down, you know.

CHOPRA: Love, prayers ..

LIN: ... not turning away from that list of things to do.

CHOPRA: Prayer is extremely useful, and meditation is extremely useful. Sitting quietly, feeling the sensations in your body is extremely useful. But most importantly, you know, put your attention in your heart and think right now, I would say it to the audience, think right now -- of all the things in your life that you could be grateful for.

One of the best ways to overcome depression, or to overcome grief, is to experience gratitude. Or think of someone that you're holding a grievance again, or resentment, and say, I'm letting it go. Or say, I'm not going to be attached to my idea of how things should be.

You know, these are things that you need to tell yourself. But the most important thing, really, is to quiet your internal dialogue and experience the stillness that's in you. And you can do that in so many ways. You can watch your breath, you can repeat a phrase like "thy will be done." Or, "the lord is my shepherd", or you can just feel the sensations of in your body, or you can feel the area of your heart -- any of these things are very useful.

LIN: Body aware and ...

CHOPRA: Body awareness.

LIN: And just surrendering to your feelings and allowing yourself to feel whatever it is that you fell.

CHOPRA: And constantly asking yourself what am I observing, what am I feeling, what's the need and how do I fulfill this need in a relationship? Usually it's something about, you know, self-esteem or love, or ego ambitions, or higher guidance. Whatever it is. Ask yourself, what do I need at this moment?

LIN: Dr. Chopra, good advice. I'll take it. As well, many of us here in the newsroom, you know -- we deal with a lot of stresses of the world too. Thanks so much.

CHOPRA: Thank you, Carol. (END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Up next, a check at the headlines, and then "LARRY KING LIVE," King-size Christmas. We leave you tonight with your responses to our "Last Call" question, what do the holidays mean to you? Here is what you had to say. Have a great night.

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CALLER: Family in town and celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ -- that's what the holidays mean to me. Nicki Rogers (ph), Gersty (ph), Arkansas.

CALLER: This is Tom from New Jersey. The holidays to me mean observing the birth of Christ as well as getting together with family and friends.

CALLER: Holidays me to me is being with -- just mainly being with family and everything, and share what little you can with those in your family who don't have much.

CALLER: You know, the holidays mean good times, great times, family coming together.

CALLER: My name is Vickie (ph). I cannot believe I got through. What they mean to me is lots of memories, they mean a lot of memories. They also mean hurting, but they also mean challenging me not to let hurt from the past holidays take over the future.

CALLER: Christmas is not about giving gifts. Christmas is about the gift that was given to us.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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