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Spring Break In Era Of Coronavirus; CNN Hero`s Efforts To Help Others Overcome Adversity; Star Wars Ship Replica. Aired 4-4:10a ET
Aired March 15, 2021 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CARL AZUZ, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Hi, I`m Carl Azuz. We are five days away from the official start of Spring but for many schools and colleges in America,
Spring Break has sprung or is about to be springing. What does this look like in the era of coronavirus?
Several U.S. colleges have canceled Spring Break. The University of California-Davis has offered students $75 not to go anywhere during the
week off. These schools are trying to prevent people from traveling, partying in large groups and possibly catching and spreading COVID-19 but
thousands are traveling anyway looking to enjoy a much anticipated vacation.
Last Friday, the Transportation Security Administration said it screened 1.3 million people at U.S. airports. That`s the highest number of travelers
in a day since March 15th, 2020 and that`s got some health officials worried. The directors for the U.S. Centers of Disease Control says when
travel numbers go up, an increase in COVID cases tends to follow.
And in Florida where some beaches have been crowded with visitors, one mayor says there`s too many people coming to let loose while another says
it`s important for them to keep their masks on and their distance from each other. The good news is America`s daily number of positive coronavirus
tests has continued to decrease. Experts hope Spring Break doesn`t change that.
10 Second Trivia. Which of these U.S. cities was founded the most recently in 1889? Little Rock, Arkansas, Independence, Oregon, Kansas City,
Missouri, or Salt Lake City, Utah. Kansas City officially got its name in 1889 though the town it came from dates back to the 1830s.
Wesley Hamilton is a CNN Hero who started a non-profit organization called "Disabled but Not Really". It`s what he went through to get there that
really makes his story stand out. A shooting and also that required six surgeries, two years of bed rest, depression and becoming dangerously
overweight. In his own words, here`s how Hamilton turned it all around.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
WESLEY HAMILTON, CNN HERO: I was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, growing up I was a product of my environment, living in poverty. My role
models were people that were in the streets. I never knew no other way out. January 12th, 2012 was the day that my life changed forever.
I was part of an altercation that led to me being shot multiple times in my abdomen and the result of that a spinal cord injury, paralyzed from the
waist down for the rest of my life. When the doctors told me that I was never going to walk again, I didn`t believe it. I was in denial. That put
me more in a deeper hole of depression.
This looks very, very good to me.
My daughter`s name is Niveah (ph). I was determined to be a better person and a better father and that was literally the motivation for me to start
to take control of my life. I enrolled into a local community college and took up a dietitian course, fell in love with it and started to heal my
body in ways that just wasn`t physical. It was mental. I lost 100 pounds.
That was mind blowing for me. I thought to myself at that point, man if there`s anything that I want, I just have to go get it. I also opened my
eyes up to fitness. I became this award-winning adaptive athlete. Again, reaching levels of life that I never thought I was going to reach. I was
motivated to find a way to help people with disabilities become more active and healthy. So I started my non-profit organization.
Yes. It`s 105. That`s awesome. Let`s go on in there. We`ve got a nice workout today.
My program is built for those that are ready to take the next step in life and focus on independence.
You got to come back some (inaudible). You`ve too much leverage.
We challenge people with disabilities do training with things that maybe you never thought you could do because you just didn`t have the courage to
try. We work with people with spinal cord injuries, PTSD, visually impairment.
Slowly, all right. You can stop right here.
If you have a limitation that`s not allowing you to be who you were destined to be than we can help you. During COVID, I made my garage into a
gym.
(CROSSTALK)
Once it`s safe to get back into a community atmosphere, we are really looking to continue with our group classes.
Nice, you figure it out. That`s all that matters. Good job. Sweat.
I had never seen a positive representation of a person in a wheelchair. It symbolizes how to take control of your life.
Hey man. (Inaudible) came to play today. That`s all.
We have created a safe place where all people can work out and allowing you not to be intimidated. Because when you come through the door, we actually
have things that speak to your ability level. I just wanted to change the way people see fitness and allow people to understand it is for everyone.
We`ve opened our doors up to kids with disabilities. I want to be that mentor. It`s very important for me to go in depth on a personal level with
everybody that comes to our program.
What is accountability to you? I`m like what gets you in the door?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Proving to myself that yes, we can do this.
HAMILTON: I come from a place of empathy. I understand the pain.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In 2018, I was in a car accident. I`m paralyzed from the waist down. Everything in life is not going to be glitter and gold. Some
things stink. I`m just worrying about what I can do versus about what I can`t. I love working out.
Before my accident, I might be at the gym five or six days a week. I was told that I wouldn`t be able to do some of the things that I do now. More
than anything, it gives me hope. It`s showing me that there are more options out there then I`ve got a great support system on top of that.
Everybody here, we`re all here for common goal, to do better for ourselves.
HAMIILTON: A lot of us try to get back to the lives we had, you know, but you`re learning that you`re about to do more. The determination for life is
powerful man.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Inaudible).
HAMILTON: Man, I`m drinking on that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With Wes, it`s kind of good to have a mentor that is in the situation that you`re in and they understand where you`re going and
what you`re trying to get to.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Before I met Wes, I was just living as somebody in a wheelchair. I wasn`t experiencing life. Wes introduced me to an entire
world of handicapped people doing things I didn`t know was possible. He definitely reinstilled my ability to push past adversity, set a goal,
achieve it.
HAMILTON: I choose not to allow my struggle to be my identity. I`ve gained so much from my injury that I don`t see nothing wrong with it. And I want
other people to have that same mindset. Rather you want to be an athlete, an entrepreneur, back to work, be a parent, what we do is give you the
tools to be successful in life. We`re just planting that seed. I`m not done yet. I`m just getting started.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
AZUZ: There are different levels of Star Wars fans out there. These guys have got to be in the top. They recently built a massive replica of the
bounty hunter`s Razor Crest you have seen in the Mandalorian series.
The model actually used for that series was only two feet long. Most of the shots on film are computer generated but this Russian fan`s replica is more
life-sized, 45 feet long. Private sponsors, a fan and a friend who sold his car all chipped in.
Having a car is "stellar" but having a "spaceship" is "interstellar". Of course, it might have caused some grief to see the car go. Some critics
might have called it "Bocatan crazy". But the fans would have said, at least they care enough to "dune" such a good job.
It really was for a good "replicause" and they probably would all "mandaloragain". I`m Carl Azuz. Ben Lomand High School, let`s go Scots in
Ogden, Utah. Thank you for subscribing on You Tube. We hope to see you and every else tomorrow for more CNN 10.
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