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Campbell Brown
Missing Boy Found After Balloon Takes Off; The New CPR
Aired October 15, 2009 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAMPBELL BROWN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Here are the questions we want answered.
He is alive, but how did a 6-year-old boy lead the country on a three-hour massive terrifying search after we all thought he had floated away.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The balloon landed. The boy was not inside.
BROWN: What happens to the boy now?
RICHARD HEENE, FATHER: He scared the heck out of us.
BROWN: Could the family be facing charges?
MARC FRIEDLAND, NEIGHBOR: They're unusual, yes. Of course. I mean, he is sort of a scientist/inventor. And there are storm chasers. They go after, you know, tornadoes and hurricanes and things like that.
BROWN: We have the story covered from all angles with last- minute details.
Plus, Rush Limbaugh getting sacked by the group trying to buy the Saint Louis Rams.
RUSH LIMBAUGH, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: The hatred that I am able now to mirror for the country to see is all over the place.
BROWN: So, who is he blaming?
Plus, who is President Obama's new best friend? The video you have to see.
Also, Dr. Sanjay Gupta with tonight's special report, a new way to save lives.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The trick is get as many compressions in as you can, and then if you can get a little extra oxygen in, that's fabulous.
BROWN: It's the new CPR. You need to watch this, cheating death.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: This is your only source for news. CNN prime time begins now. Here's Campbell Brown.
BROWN: Hi, everybody.
We're going to start tonight, as always, with the "Mash-Up." It's our look at all the stories making an impact right now, the moments you may have missed. We are watching it all, so you don't have to.
And we start tonight with an unbelievable story. Yes, that unbelievable story. It has more twists and turns than a very bad reality TV show. You probably saw it, police and rescue workers in Colorado spending their day on a wild goose chase searching for a 6- year-old boy who they had believed floated off in a homemade helium balloon. So, why did they think that? Because that's what the boy's brother told them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, that's what he said, is that he saw his brother climb into that apparatus, and he was very adamant. They interviewed him multiple times, and that was his consistent story.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Helicopters and police chased after the balloon for nearly two hours today, an agonizing rescue attempt.
When it landed, when the balloon landed, the boy was not on board. Police spent more than two hours searching the ground fearing he had fallen out of the balloon. And guess what, folks? The kid was hiding in his family's attic the whole time. Here's how it all unfolded.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: A 6-year-old boy, we are being told, is actually inside what is being called an experimental aircraft. As you can see, it is just floating along the -- within the sky here.
This is Larimer County, Colorado. And according to the family and various officials, including law enforcement, the 6-year-old boy actually got into the aircraft when nobody was watching and detached the rope that was holding it in place.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It went over the town of Evans and is now continuing to the southwest at about 20 to 30 miles per hour.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: A National Guard rescue helicopter has been launched to head in the direction of this balloon.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Can you guys make me understand? Can you help me with this? Who makes experimental balloons in their backyard?
SANCHEZ: Three hundred feet. Now it's at 100 feet. Let's all take a deep breath. If you -- if you are predisposed to do so and you want to say a little prayer, you might want to do so now, because this 6-year-old boy is about 100 feet from the ground.
PHILLIPS: All right. It's come down. We have all been holding our breath for about an hour now.
SANCHEZ: Hold on.
PHILLIPS: And, according to police, there is no one inside that balloon.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Little 6-year-old boy, Falcon, we are now being told by Larimer County Sheriff's Office he has been found and he is OK. Great, great news to report.
BLITZER: All right, let's listen to the news conference now.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sure.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... attic in the garage in....
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: Was he sleeping or crying?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know.
This is not the first time when we have been involved in searching for some child, and once the child realizes people are looking for them, they hide because they're afraid they're going to get in trouble. I can't tell you how many times this has happened over the course of my career.
And, you know, I think the thing that was confusing here is that we had the eyewitness that said that he climbed into this apparatus, which clearly was not the case.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: So if you are a mom or dad, what do you do first here, hug or spank the kid?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
R. HEENE: We were on the sofa, and Mayumi screamed. And he came out of it somewhere. Where did you come out of? Hello?
FALCON HEENE, 6 YEARS OLD: The attic.
R. HEENE: The attic.
QUESTION: Is he grounded?
(LAUGHTER)
R. HEENE: No. No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We didn't of that one.
R. HEENE: Yes, we don't -- we don't ground our children. But we're going to talk to him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Well, you can believe the police had a lot of questions for him tonight.
A big part of this drama is the family here. They are avid storm chasers, apparently, and balloon enthusiasts, clearly. And the kids have always been a part of their adventures. Here's one of the many iReports they have sent us in the past.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're the storm chase family. This is my brother Ryo, Falcon, and my mom is shooting the camera. And we're in the middle of Hurricane Gustav.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: The family was also featured on ABC's reality show "Wife Swap." And here's how one neighbor describes them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRIEDLAND: They're a great family. We have been their neighbors for about a year, and we have -- you know, they're unusual, yes. Of course. I mean, he is sort of a scientist/inventor. And there are storm chasers. They go after, you know, tornadoes and hurricanes and things like that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: One of the first calls the family made when this whole thing started, no surprise here, was to a local TV station. So, was this a hoax or a boy trying to trick his parents? We're going to have a whole lot more on the story coming up in just a few minutes.
Police in Arizona tonight want to talk to self-help guru James Ray. Ray was leading a sweat lodge where two people died over the weekend, and then he fled the state. Tonight, police say the deaths were not accidental.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVE WAUGH, YAVAPAI COUNTY, ARIZONA, SHERIFF: Because of information that we have obtained from the interviews from the participants in the most recent Spiritual Warrior retreat and from other past participants in them, we have elevated this investigation from an accidental death investigation to a homicide investigation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Nineteen other people were treated for injuries. One was still in the hospital today.
The mothers of three American hikers being held in Iran since July appealed personally for their release today. They hand-delivered boxes of petitions to the Iranian mission at the United Nations. The moms sat down with CNN to make another appeal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAURA FATTAL, MOTHER OF MISSING HIKER: President Ahmadinejad is a father, and I think he can easily imagine how difficult it is for the families of the hikers, and we very much see this as a humanitarian issue unrelated to anything else.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You had some diplomats, Swiss diplomats, who were able to visit with them. Tell me what they told you about that.
CINDY HICKEY, MOTHER OF MISSING HIKER: That the children were in good health, or the young adults were in good health. They're always our children.
And, you know, they were able to give them a hug, which for me personally, you know, as soon as I heard that, I felt that. You know, I thought I hope they feel us through that hug.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: The three hikers were detained after reportedly straying into Iran while hiking in northern Iraq. Their families have had no contact at all since.
A little glimmer of hope today for that American dad jailed in Japan for allegedly kidnapping his own children from his ex-wife. Christopher Savoie was released this morning. Police believe he is not a flight risk, but the kids are still with their mother. Savoie's second wife, Amy, told the story on "AMERICAN MORNING."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMY SAVOIE, WIFE OF CHRISTOPHER SAVOIE: At around 3:00 in the morning, I received a phone call from him. He said that he was out. And I was just really happy to hear his voice. The elation lasted, you know, for, you know, a few minutes, and now we're back to square one, where there's no closure. You know, we don't have Isaac and Rebecca in the situation from which they were taken.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Prosecutors in Japan say Savoie told them he hopes to talk it out with his ex-wife. Rush Limbaugh is making the most of being cut out of a bid to buy the Saint Louis rams. Today he is doing what he does best, blaming the media.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LIMBAUGH: The hatred that exists in this is found in the sportswriter community. It's found in the news business. It's found in the race hustler business.
As I said yesterday and I have said I don't know how many times on this program, I love the National Football League. I don't dislike anything about it. I'm a fan, but the hatred that I am able now to mirror for the country to see is all over the place.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: That's one way to look at it. The ladies of "The View" had a very different take on what had happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WHOOPI GOLDBERG, CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": He shot back that it's part of the left-wing plan to destroy conservatives. I -- I kind of wonder about that, Rush. I think it really might be because they're not pleased with you. It might actually -- it might not be about conservatism.
I think this one might be personal. And here's the other thing. I love -- because now I have listened to Rush enough now to hear him when he talks about mainstream media. This guy has one of the largest audiences...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He does.
GOLDBERG: ... in the country. You are mainstream, baby.
(CROSSTALK)
JOY BEHAR, CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": It's like making Michael Vick own the American Kennel Club. You know what I mean?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Two sides to every story.
President Obama made a four-hour stop in New Orleans today. This was the first visit of his presidency, and, as usual, he got some criticism, this time because the trip was so short.
But at the end of his town hall at the University of New Orleans, he also got an unexpected pat on the back. Well, as you saw there, it was actually a hug.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have to say, why do people hate you?
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And they're supposed to love you. And God is love.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: That's what I'm talking about.
Well, now, first of all, I did get elected president, so not everyone hates me.
(LAUGHTER)
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: I got a whole lot of votes.
If you were watching TV lately, it seems like everybody is just getting mad all the time. And I -- you know, I think that you have got to take it with a grain of salt. Some of it is just what's called politics.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: The president is in San Francisco tonight for a DNC fund- raiser.
On Tuesday, the Senate Finance Committee approved their version of the health care bill, bringing Congress one step closer to health care reform. Nobody more furious about the prospects of that than Stephen Colbert. Here he is with tonight's "Punchline."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, "THE COLBERT REPORT": We are now one step closer to a nightmare future where everyone has health insurance.
(LAUGHTER)
COLBERT: And I will tell you who I blame. Maine Senator Olympia Snowe, the only Republican who voted in favor of the bill.
And, folks, I am angrier than an Eskimo...
(LAUGHTER)
COLBERT: ... because I have 300 words for Snowe, and I can't say one of them on TV.
(LAUGHTER)
COLBERT: How did they get to you, Olympia? How did they get to you? Are they holding somebody hostage back in Maine? Maybe the Gorton's Fisherman?
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Stephen Colbert, everybody, and that is the "Mash-Up."
Not so funny today, the boy who led police on a midair wild goose chase for hours. Still many unanswered questions tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
R. HEENE: He says he was hiding in the attic, and because I yelled at him. And I am really sorry I yelled at him.
Yes...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We got him.
R. HEENE: He scared the heck out of us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: A gripping real-life drama playing out on live television this afternoon. We all watched it. And the star of it all, a missing 6-year-old boy thought to be aboard a runaway hot air balloon. You can't make this stuff up.
For hours, they searched high, low, literally, until they found little Falcon Heene hiding in a cardboard box in the attic above the family's garage. His father, Richard Heene, spoke at a news conference with his son in his arms. This was just a short time ago. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
R. HEENE: Oh, how did it feel to see my son again? This is a relief. We're going to watch him a lot closer.
QUESTION: What did you think when the balloon came down and your son wasn't in it?
R. HEENE: That tore me apart. The only thing I could think of was that he had fallen out. And so I had to retrack back in my mind, did he fall out, or...
QUESTION: So, can you describe this aircraft that you were talking about, and what specifically it was used for?
R. HEENE: Well, what I'm trying to invent is a roll-under-the- garage vehicle, kind of like the Jetsons, I guess. You fill it up with helium, because you can recycle helium, and it runs off a million volts on the outer skin, which creates a plasma field, so you direct it in different directions.
(CROSSTALK) QUESTION: Did you guys have a video recording of this, of what you guys were doing this morning; is that right?
R. HEENE: Yes. Yes, we record everything.
(CROSSTALK)
R. HEENE: I'm not sure you guys want to hear me cussing on it.
(LAUGHTER)
QUESTION: There's been rumors that this might be a big publicity stunt or a hoax. Please address that.
R. HEENE: That's horrible. After the crap we just went through, no, no, no.
(CROSSTALK)
R. HEENE: We keep all of our experiments to ourselves. We go and log everything. We go to the desert, chase dust devils together as a family. Everything is tight. We have got an old flying saucer out in the backyard now that we were experimenting with last year. This is what we do.
QUESTION: Does he hide a lot? Is this a normal behavior for him? Or...
R. HEENE: He is always last in line. We go to the local stores, he is always peeling behind like a small duck. And he takes his time. And then he will be the first to climb up the ladders and jump off. He is crazy.
F. HEENE: I was in the attic, and he scared me because he yelled at me. That's why I went in the attic. I heard daddy. I didn't want to come out very soon or else he would yell at me and I would probably get in trouble.
QUESTION: Has the sheriff's department said whether it's sending you a bill for the resources they used today?
(LAUGHTER)
R. HEENE: Gosh, I hope not.
QUESTION: So, did you take a nap or anything, or did you just play with the toys?
F. HEENE: After I played with my toys, I took a nap.
QUESTION: What made you get up? Why did you finally get up?
F. HEENE: I heard -- I got up just because I was really bored. I was sleepy, bored. So, I was sleepy. Then I woke up.
QUESTION: Did you know there were a lot of people downstairs looking for you when you were up in the attic?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: What in the world is going on with this family? You're going to hear from neighbors and friends when we come back. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Today's balloon boy drama was an unusual crisis, to say the least. After all, not many people build hot air balloons in their backyards. So, how did all this go down?
We have Tom Foreman in Washington, neighbor Marc Friedland in Colorado, Sheree Silver, who was on the show "Wife Swap" with the family, psychiatrist Gail Saltz here with me in New York.
Tom, we just saw the press conference with this family. You were on the air all day as this was unfolding. Walk us through what happened.
FOREMAN: This is a wild story, Campbell. Let's get our bearings here, Denver down here, Fort Collins up here. That's Wyoming up there.
So, we're dealing with this part of Colorado. And this is what happened. About 11:30 today, this balloon took off from a backyard right down here south of Fort Collins. And it started flying. And what started flying with it almost immediately was this notion that there was a 6-year-old boy on board. That's what everybody was hearing.
And, boy, did that become big news fast. Take a look of the video we were watching. When this came on, everyone was absolutely captivated. Close to two hours, this is what we saw, this balloon moving way up sometimes, considerably down other times, often sort of tilting on the side.
You could see it was partially collapsed over in here. And this went on for close to two hours, with everyone saying somewhere in there is a 6-year-old boy, Campbell, so we were all just beside ourselves watching that.
Well, on and on it goes. Somewhere during the course of the flight of this balloon -- we don't know exactly whether it went quite this way or whether it came quite this way, but we do know this. I'm going to put up some tracking here so I can show you what I meant here.
We do know that somehow it wound up coming down by here. Now, we don't know if it went out this way or sort of came around in more of a squiggle like this, but it ended up in a different place. As it went by this location down around Platteville, there were people who said -- or at least one person who said I saw something fall from it.
Here is the balloon up here. This is a highlight circle we have put on here because what we're highlighting is this little speck down here, which showed up in a photograph. So people what is that? Is that possibly this little boy or this other container that was believed to be attached to the balloon?
Nobody really knew. So, that happened around here, and then came the other video which was also just dazzling to watch. Look at this. The balloon comes finally after two hours crashing down in this mowed- down wheat field. This guy drags out here, grabs on to a rope. He tries to for a while. Then he runs in and grabs the rest of it.
And the bottom line is the balloon is found, but nothing it s there. That's when they have to go back to the neighborhood, and they bring in these helicopters. And they start searching saying where could he possibly be if he came out of this helicopter, and then lo and behold, Campbell, he winds up in the attic or in the garage back at home, just an astonishing story-- Campbell.
BROWN: Yes, unbelievable.
I want to bring in Marc, who, as we said, is the Heenes' neighbor.
And this morning you saw the family in the yard. They were out there with the balloon. At one point, you heard commotion, I guess, when they thought the balloon had taken off. Tell us what you and your wife had seen or what you heard.
FRIEDLAND: Well, yes.
I had -- both my wife and I had seen the aircraft while it was -- you know, while it was still there. I had left to take a walk actually just to get some exercise for about a half-hour or so. And so when I left, sort of their whole family was still running around and, you know, pumping helium or whatever into the craft.
And then, when I came back, my wife explained to me that she heard them -- Richard was yelling, oh, no. The craft had obviously taken off. It was only supposed to hover for about 20 feet in the air. And obviously something had happened where it did take off. And so there was a lot of commotion.
I don't believe that they -- that they realized that Falcon was missing at that time. At first, it was just like, oh, my gosh, the craft has taken off, and, you know, we have lost that. And then some time shortly after that, I don't know whether it was a minute or five minutes -- it's hard to tell in that situation -- they realized that Falcon was missing.
BROWN: And, Marc, I mean, tell us your reaction -- you knew the family -- when you found out that the little boy was, in fact, safe.
FRIEDLAND: Oh, yes. Well, obviously, of course, there was tremendous relief and joy over the fact that, you know -- that he was found safe.
And it was interesting because about 10 minutes before he was found, I came in, and I just -- I told my wife, you know, I just looked for him in our garage. And, you know, obviously, we're really close -- we're very close situated neighbors to them. And she said, well, you know, why would he be that scared that he would hide in the garage all that time? And I said, I don't know.
And then within five or 10 minutes, the local sheriff outside said, yes, he was -- we just found him. He's alive. He is in the attic of their garage.
BROWN: All right, Gail, address that. Why would -- you're a psychiatrist. Why would he be that scared that he is hiding that whole time?
DR. GAIL SALTZ, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF PSYCHIATRY, THE NEW YORK PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL AT WEILL-CORNELL SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: Well, you know, he didn't necessarily know all this was going on, so it's not unusual for a child to want to avoid punishment, and, you know, do it in this very shortsighted way.
You know, if he really understood this is what was going on and he hid all that time, then I would be concerned is the punishment that's doled out in that house too severe, or is he so fragile that he has trouble, you know, dealing with being disciplined at all?
But if he really didn't understand what was going on, it's more likely that this was just one of those things, except to say this is a family that has clearly sought out a lot of high drama.
BROWN: Right. We're going to get to that in a second.
I'm going to take a quick break. But, when we come back, we're going to talk to Sheree Silver, who was with this family on TV. As you said, they have sought out a lot of drama. They were part of a reality television show. Sheree, was on that show with them. And we're going to talk about this press conference that was a little bizarre that we just saw a moment ago and what this means for the family -- when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: This family has been on TV before, many times before. Believe it or not, they were on ABC's reality TV show "Wife Swap." And they are frequent posters on YouTube. take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: And back with us again, we have got neighbor Marc Friedland in Colorado, Sheree Silver, who was on the show "Wife Swap" with the family, and Gail Saltz with me here in New York.
And, Sheree, again, you participated on this show with the family. And this apparently didn't surprise you, as I understand it. Why not?
SHEREE SILVER, FORMER REALITY TV CONTESTANT: Well, the first thing I thought when I saw the news of the spacecraft, I thought, oh, my God, Richard Heene has done a publicity spot, because, you know, he enjoys people seeing his experiments, and he is a scientist. And he likes to be, you know, on TV, obviously.
And, so, knowing him and knowing how he is very into all these science experiments, I figured he just lifted the spaceship up for everybody to see. I didn't realize at first that everybody was seeing the child was in it. But when I knew the child, the youngest one, Falcon, he was one of those kids that loved doing all the science experiments, so it didn't surprise me that he would jump into something. That wouldn't have surprised me.
BROWN: And the publicity seeking, Gail, what is this about? I mean, we just saw that press conference. Given what happened today, sort of putting the whole family out there, the kids out there, what's going on?
SALTZ: Right, right. Well, look, unfortunately, today I would say generally in society right there, a lot of people who are publicity seeking, like fame has become this thing that a lot of people want, sometimes at great expense. Sort of like I don't exist if other people aren't watching me kind of phenomenon going on, but this family seems to have taken it fairly far.
My concern would simply be that if high drama is so rewarded in this family, then you shouldn't be surprised if your kids do things that are highly dramatic and sometimes risky and inappropriate because they think that's a positive. So I would say that, unfortunately, it's not good that they're now rewarding their son who has done a not good thing with putting him on TV. I mean, the family is clearly sort of enjoying now the press and the little boy is smiling and he looks very excited. He is happy. People are going to be, like, oh, I saw you on TV.
That is not a good ending to you brought out law enforcement, you caused people thousands of dollars.
BROWN: Right.
SALTZ: It's not a good end.
BROWN: And people are really angry. I mean, I want to ask you about this, Mark, because, first of all, I didn't watch all this today because I was too upset by it. I turned off all the TVs. I'm in my office and bawled my eyes out. And we're getting tons of e-mail from people who are really angry now that -- I mean, he put a lot of people through the ringer today. Are people there mad, Marc?
FRIEDLAND: You know, I haven't experienced that. I didn't feel that way at all. I mean, you know, we were you could say that, you know, we were, you know, put out because of, you know, all the -- you know, all the interviews and everything that we had to deal with today and, you know, the media being all over our house and yard and all that.
And you know, to me my experience is that, you know, yes, it is a happy ending, because, you know, because he was found safe. I mean, there could have been some -- you know -- you know, terribly horrific, you know, experience that could have been the result of what occurred today, and it wasn't, you know.
So, you know -- no, I haven't experienced anger. You know the only thing I saw, you know, relief and joy that it was resolved in such a positive manner. I mean, are there repercussions? You know? Other things that we're talking about psychological.
You know, that's really out of my area of expertise. I'm not even going to comment on it. But no, to me I didn't experience anyone being angry or mad or just like -- you know, just feeling relief and love for the Heene family...
BROWN: Right.
FRIEDLAND: ... that it was resolved in a positive manner.
BROWN: Right. Let me go back to Sheree on this. And Sheree, you talked about the father and your experience in dealing with him. What were the kids like? I mean, you spent a lot of time with the whole family, right?
SILVER: Yes. When I first got there, the children were jumping from the high ceiling down to the couches. They were swearing nonstop. Their father was very abusive and rude. But as I got to know the children and as I started to introduce creativity things to them, they seemed to mellow a little bit and enjoy doing something beyond science.
BROWN: That's interesting.
SILVER: Yes.
BROWN: A lot here to explore. I know we're out of time. Gail Saltz, appreciate it, Gail. Sheree Silver and Marc Friedland as well, thanks to everybody.
And the family's publicity tour, we should mention, starts immediately. The entire Heene family will be on "LARRY KING" tonight.
You might know CPR, but not many people know the new CPR. That's another story that is coming up. We're going to talk about that when we come back after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Back now with a compelling look at people who have cheated death. Our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has the incredible story of a young mother whose heart stopped beating for 18 minutes.
Sanjay has also got a new book out "Another Day Cheating Death." Here right now is his report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Kathie Harden. She was a mom with two young children, and she died right here just 33 years old on the floor of her bedroom. She was dead for 18 minutes.
SCOTT HARDEN, KATHIE'S HUSBAND: I've always teased her about her snoring. And she doesn't, but I've always told her that she does. And that night it was unbelievable.
GUPTA: It wasn't snoring. Cathy was gasping for air. Fatefully, her husband, Scott, was a sheriff's deputy. He was a trained first responder.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
911: Just treat it as you would if you were on the road.
SCOTT: It's different.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUPTA: Kathie's heart wasn't beating, so Scott performed a new type of CPR on his own wife.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT: She's blue.
911: She's blue. Start CPR right now. Do not stop.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUPTA: No pausing for mouth to mouth. Compressions only. Since 2004, Arizona has encouraged bystanders to use the technique. Statewide survival of cardiac arrest has more than tripled.
DR. LANCE BECKER, CTR. FOR RESUSCITATION SCIENCE: The trick is get as many compressions in as you can, and then if you can get a little extra oxygen in, that's fabulous.
GUPTA (on camera): Go up there and do it as fast and hard as you can. I mean, what are we talking about? A hundred times a minute?
BECKER: A hundred times a minute.
GUPTA: What you're describing could save lives.
BECKER: It has saved lives.
GUPTA (voice-over): If Kathie Harden was going to survive, the CPR would need to work for her. After numerous shots with a defibrillator and multiple infusions of epinephrine, paramedics restored Kathie's heartbeat and they rushed her to Flagstaff Medical Center.
DR. CARRIE BURNS, FLAGSTAFF MEDICAL CENTER: She's a healthy woman. It was a real mystery why this lady had an arrest.
GUPTA: Hoping to prevent brain damage, doctors cooled Kathie down to almost 91 degrees. The idea is that a cooler brain doesn't require as much oxygen and it could buy Kathie some time. For 18 hours, Scott waited. He was terrified. Had he done enough?
DR. MICHAEL REIDY, FLAGSTAFF MEDICAL CENTER: It was clear to me she was going to be OK. He was there at the bedside, and he got to smile this week, watched her wake up.
KATHIE HARDEN, CARDIAC ARREST SURVIVOR: Everybody got a long, nice sleep?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
GUPTA: Remarkably, Kathie Harden was back from the dead. Turns out it was a virus that had attacked her heart.
K. HARDEN: It's just scary because I thought I was, you know, young and healthy, you know, a working parent. You know, you think you're fine, and really I wasn't.
GUPTA: Last month, Kathie and her family met the team who saved her.
K. HARDEN: Thank you so much.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're welcome. It's great to finally meet you.
GUPTA: And in case you're curious, on the night she cheated death, her children slept through the chaos.
K. HARDEN: I'm just hoping that I can, you know, be here a long time for my kids.
GUPTA: For now, she's trying to put death behind her.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: When we come back, more with Sanjay Gupta on a young mother broke back from the dead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Incredible medical advances are making it possible for more and more Americans to cheat death, including the young mom whose story we just saw a moment ago brought back from the dead by her husband.
Earlier, I spoke with chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta about this amazing breakthrough in science.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: And, Sanjay, this is just a remarkable story. Dead for 18 minutes, and now alive and well. Explain this new CPR method that helped save her life.
GUPTA: Yes, it really is amazing. I mean, people like this -- when I was in medical school simply would not have survived. It's a pretty simple premise, Campbell. It's this idea that if someone has a cardiac arrest and they were just breathing, they probably have plenty of oxygen in their blood. And the goal, bigger than any other goal, is to move that oxygenated blood around the body.
So, you know, people are fearful of mouth to mouth. They feel awkward about it. What this new CPR says is you don't have to worry about that. Simply start pushing on someone's chest right between -- right in the middle of the breastbone. Push as hard and fast as you can, about 100 times a minute. Call 911 first, the paramedics are on the way, but do this as hard and fast as you can.
You are essentially acting like a cardiac pump, a heart pump, and you're doing the heart's work for it. And that really makes a difference, Campbell. Up to 500 percent increase in survival.
BROWN: So, I like, a lot of people, took CPR. Do we need to go back and take another class?
GUPTA: Well, you know, the interesting thing is that you probably learned the chest compression part of it, and then you also learned the mouth to mouth, and you probably learned the sort of dance of going back and forth between chest compressions and mouth to mouth.
This is just a lot simpler. These researchers said, you know, we know that bystanders don't help. What's a good way to get bystanders involved? Let's just do chest compressions only, and they found that not only was it as good as conventional CPR, but in many situations it's much better.
BROWN: The other thing that saved her is that doctors cooled down her body to almost 91 degrees. Explain exactly what they did to her and why it made such a difference.
GUPTA: Well, you know, if you think about the body sort of as a whole, it needs oxygenated blood. It needs it to feed all of its cells.
If the heart is not working well, you really got two options. You've got to do something to try and improve the heartbeat or you can decrease the demand throughout the entire body.
And that's essentially what hypothermia does. It sort of lowers the set point for the whole body, so everything is sort of asleep. The brain is not requiring as much oxygenated blood. The heart is not requiring as much, so you can get by with less. That's basically it. It's almost like a state of hibernation due to cold.
BROWN: And in the book you really get into this idea, the idea of hypothermia and extreme survival. Give us a couple of examples you've used.
GUPTA: Well, one of the most fascinating examples to me and I think it's one that sort of challenges most physicians' notions of what death really is involved a skier from Norway. She was off just skiing, sort of off trail skiing, and she lost control. And she ended up head first through this block of ice into a stream.
So, you know, her head was in this water. She was sort of suffocating and freezing simultaneously, and her friends were seeing but could not get her out. They've tried as hard as they could, but after a few minutes she just stopped struggling because of the extreme cold and all the water.
They eventually got her out. But after three hours of no heartbeat, no spontaneous respiration, her pupils were dilated which is usually an indication that the brain has been damaged somehow. Doctors started to slowly re-warm her as opposed of warming her up right away, slowly re-warm her, allow her to gently come out of this hibernation.
Let me just cut to the chase, Campbell. She is now a practicing physician at the same hospital where she was once essentially pronounced dead. So the hypothermia really helped her, and I think it changed the way that a lot of physicians think about death overall.
BROWN: Well, I was going to say, I mean, this is so amazing. Is this idea of a patient being brain dead, you know, becoming obsolete in some ways?
GUPTA: You know, it's a great question, and I don't know the answer to that, and it's always uncomfortable to say that. You know, 20 years ago when I was a medical student, I always had a sense that there's an arbitrary nature about the way that we declare people dead. And almost 20 years later, I still feel that way.
I think there is, to answer your question. I think there is, and there's something about how we're not quite sure if someone is in a persistent vegetative coma, someone who's brain dead.
There's a great example that I put in the book about this woman in England, which you may have heard about, Campbell. She was essentially thought to be in a vegetative state, could not communicate, did not interact in any way. They put her in an MRI scanner to image her brain, and they asked her to imagine playing tennis. They didn't think it was going to show anything.
Then all of a sudden the motor area of her brain that, you know, you would light up if you were playing tennis, started to light up. She was hearing. She was processing, and she was imaging playing tennis. And this is a woman they essentially thought was in a vegetative state. So it's baffling, but I think aspirational. It means we've got a long way to go in sort of understanding some of this.
BROWN: But exciting, certainly, for somebody in your field especially. Sanjay, while I have you here, I'm going to ask you a couple of other questions.
We are getting a lot of questions on our Web site, on the show about swine flu. It's kind of everybody's obsession right now, and especially from parents about whether or not they should get their children vaccinated. What's your bottom line on this?
GUPTA: My bottom line is I have three kids. One is too young to get a vaccine. The older two are going to get vaccinated. You know, my wife and I have had discussions about this.
But, you know, look, I think I've become less dogmatic since I become a parent, frankly, Campbell. I think if doctors -- most of them will say, you know, there's no question. Just get the vaccine. That is still my bottom line.
I understand the concerns. I would love to have decades of safety data on anything that I'm recommending for my children, but the reality is that this vaccine is made every year. It's been made the same way for a long time now. This is just a different strain they're sort of plugging in to the exact same process.
So I think -- you know, the other thing, Campbell, I'm sure it's something you've thought about, about 30 percent of the children who have died so far were healthy kids. I mean, these were kids who were healthy, got infected, and then they passed away. So I really think getting the vaccine is important obviously for your own child. It's an important for the public health issue for your children's friends and classmates, so you don't get them sick either. I'm going to get them the vaccine.
BROWN: I also want to ask you about how the process has been going since the vaccines are starting to roll out this week. You know, is it going well? Are enough of the vaccines getting to those most in need?
GUPTA: Well, I don't think it's going perfectly, to be candid. In fact, I was in Washington yesterday thinking that I was going to see some of the first shots arriving there, and I wanted to document that, but they didn't arrive. So, you know, you have a lot of pediatricians' offices thinking they were coming. They didn't show up.
Kids are first in line. Pregnant women are right there with them. People who are sort of a little bit older than that are a little bit later in line, and elderly people are last in line because they may have some immunity because a similar virus circulated decades ago.
But, you know -- you know, for the people who want the vaccine, it's not happening fast enough. And of course, there are a lot of people who say they're not going to get it, so they're not paying as much attention. But I think it hasn't been perfect, but not bad. I think 40 million or so doses over the next few weeks we're still expecting.
BROWN: Sanjay, good to talk to you, as always. Thanks a lot. Appreciate it.
GUPTA: Thanks, Campbell. Good luck.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: And tune in this Saturday and Sunday night at 8:00 when Dr. Sanjay Gupta has more medical miracles that are saving lives in the face of death.
"Cheating Death." That's Saturday and Sunday 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time right here on CNN.
Next, are you afraid to even look at your 401k statement? Well, Ali Velshi has news that may change your mind.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: This week the Dow crossed the 10,000 mark for the first time in a year. In fact, the stock market is up some 60 percent from its low in March. So is it time to revisit your 401k?
Earlier, I talked with CNN's chief business correspondent, Ali Velshi. It's tonight's "Money and Main Street."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Campbell, with the Dow crossing 10,000 this week, the question I'm getting from a lot of people is what do I do with my money? Let me give you a little picture of what's going on.
Back a year ago, this is October a year ago, that Dow was at a little above that 10,000 mark. Now take a look at what happened.
This is about March 9th when it hit the low, but look what's happened since then. This Dow had been going higher and higher and higher. Finally crossing the 10,000 mark again one year later. And it's a reason for people to check their 401ks and decide what they're going to do.
But this here is almost a 70 percent run in the stock market. Unheard of. Let's say you think the future is bright and sunny. You've made a lot of money in this market, and you want to make more.
Let's take a look at your 401k. Let's say a year ago or maybe even at the bottom of the market, you had positioned your portfolio to be about half stock and half bonds. That's the perfect hedge.
Now what's happened is while this market over here has been going up, here's what happened to your portfolio. That 50 percent in stocks became 60 percent in stocks and 40 percent in bonds. But you're loving this ride. The world is sunny. You think this market is going to continue to charge ahead.
Typically you would rebalance this portfolio back to what you originally had, but you may want to keep this ride going. Take a look at what you've got in your stock portfolio. Maybe sell some of those things that have really had gains. Some of your mutual funds. I'm assuming you have mutual funds because that's how you should be investing, and buy some that haven't done as well.
Now let's take a look at this. Let's say you're one of those people who say they don't get 70 percent runs in nine months in the stock market. This is going to come back down again. Well, take a look.
Your 50-50 portfolio, again 60-40. If you're conservative, if you're worried about what's going on, you may want to pull this back just a little bit and go back to a 50-50 bond portfolio.
How do you do that? You sell some of the things that have gained. You sell out of some of your stocks and you buy some bonds.
Look, you can consult a personal financial planner if you like on this. You can find information on the Internet, but you might want to adjust it. If you're worried about where this market is going, you might want to pull back so that your investments, your portfolio, your 401k suit your own risk tolerance -- Campbell.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: Ali Velshi for us tonight. And if you want to know the right mix of investments for you, go to CNN.com/moneyandmainstreet, and click on "fix your assets allocation."
"LARRY KING LIVE" starts in just a few minutes. He is talking to the balloon boy and his family tonight. Actually, Wolf Blitzer filling in.
But first, we're going to catch you up on the day's other headlines. That's coming up in the "Download."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: "LARRY KING LIVE" coming up next with the balloon boy and his family. First though, we've got more must-see news happening right now. Erica Hill with us tonight with tonight's "Download."
ERICA HILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm already doing the interviews, how about that? Hi, Campbell.
Civil rights advocates calling for a New Orleans justice of the peace to resign. They say Keith Bardwell refused to issue a marriage license to an interracial couple. Bardwell tells the "Hammond Daily Star" he was concerned about any children that might be born from the relationship and that in his experience those interracial marriages don't last. Bardwell also says he is not a racist. The bride calls this a case of discrimination.
Bank of America CEO Ken Lewis back in the headlines once again for his pay, or in this case lack of pay. Despite an annual salary of $1.5 million since 2001, Lewis won't be taking home a penny this year. Not even any bonuses. According to CNNmoney.com, Lewis voluntarily agreed to the deal, apparently, after pay tsar Kenneth Feinberg demanded it. Lewis, though, of course, still has that $53 million in pension waiting for him when he retires at the end of the year. He'll probably be all right.
No cost of living increase next year for the 57 million Americans on Social Security, though. Why? Because consumer prices actually fell this year, so technically there wasn't a cost of living increase.
It's the first time benefits have not increased since the cost of living adjustment became law in 1975. The president proposing a $250 relief payment now to seniors, Campbell.
And there are some iPhone apps for directions, so why not something to really help you out behind the wheel? A robotics team at one German university has come up with an app that will actually drive your car remotely.
I don't know if that's a wise idea, Campbell. Personally, I think maybe not.
BROWN: You lose your connection. Erica Hill, thank you.
HILL: Thanks.
BROWN: Have a great weekend. That's it for us.
"LARRY KING LIVE" starts right now. I will see you Monday.
