20/20 Friday: Life-Altering Experiences

Dec. 17, 2007 — -- Within hours of Katie Trebing's birth Dec. 12, 2002, she needed a blood transfusion to save her life — the first of many to come.

Steve and Stacy Trebing's daughter was born with Diamond Blackfan Anemia, a rare bone marrow disease that affects just 30 out of 4 million newborns each year in the U.S. and Canada. Stacy hasn't forgotten the day her pediatrician broke the news.

"I remember vividly being in his office, holding Katie, and him saying, 'OK, you're gonna be tied to hospitals for the rest of your life.'"

Katie's body wasn't making any red blood cells to carry oxygen to her organs, and never would. She needed transfusions every three to four weeks or she would die. But that treatment came with devastating side effects, drastically shortening Katie's life span. More than 40 percent of transfusion therapy patients die before they turn 40.

There was just one way to cure Katie — a bone marrow transplant from a perfectly matched sibling. Her older brother, Calvin, was not a match and the Trebings learned about a process of testing embryos called pre-implantation genetic diagnosis. The outcome would ensure their next child and Katie shared the same bone marrow DNA.

Some critics say PGD creates children for "spare parts." For Steve and Stacy, the technology meant a healthy sibling added to their family and the chance for Katie to have a normal life, but there was a dark side. A bone marrow transplant was a perilous operation: It would either cure their daughter or kill her.

Friday on "20/20" you'll see how far these parents were willing to go to keep their daughter from a lifetime of suffering, and the events that swayed their decision on whether to create the perfect sibling.

Also on the show, only in his mid-twenties, David Smith lived as a recluse. He weighed 635 pounds, didn't have a support system or close friends and was ready to kill himself — unable to withstand the pain of being mocked and taunted because of his size.

Smith was full of despair and had no hope, until he saw trainer and lifestyle correspondent Chris Powell on the television station KTVK in Phoenix and decided to e-mail him and ask for help. Surprisingly, Powell came out to meet Smith and together they embarked on the journey of a lifetime.

Powell, without any financial compensation, began working with Smith three times a week, changing his eating habits and starting him on an exercise routine. In just a few months, Smith lost 100 pounds, but more importantly, gained his first real friend. Powell gave Smith not only the gift of his time but the gift of his friendship.

After just 26 months, Smith lost 401 pounds, but his transformation is ongoing. No longer morbidly obese and imprisoned by social anxiety, Smith is working at a gym and studying to become a personal trainer. David Smith now has a bright future. Chris Powell, he says, is his angel on earth.

You'll also learn about a tragic accident that blossomed into a remarkable tale of a woman's will to survive.

When she was 4 years old, Heather Bland was leaning against a door in her mother's car as she backed out of a parking space. The door opened, and Bland fell out and was literally crushed by the front wheel. Bland wasn't supposed to make it through the night. She did. Then she wasn't supposed to walk. She did. Then she wasn't supposed to be able to have a child. She did. Now, 35 years after the accident, with about 200 surgeries behind her, Bland is still battling serious health issues, but her amazing spirit and optimism are helping her with the fight.

And, find out how you can give the greatest gift to a child this holiday season.

Teachers spend more than $1 billion a year on supplies for their classrooms. That is an astonishing number for these underpaid public servants, and yet they still don't have everything their classrooms need.

A Web site called DonorsChoose.org is bringing help to classrooms around the country that require anything from the most basic supplies to the most innovative teaching tools. From pencils to computers to field trips, teachers post their unique requests on the site and donors can select which proposal they want to fulfill.

It sounds simple, and it is, but since founder Charles Best started the nonprofit seven years ago, more than $15 million has been funded. Not only are teachers getting the essentials that they need, but donors are fulfilled as well.

"When they're happy, they start bouncing around like a little rabbit and you just laugh because of their joy," said a fifth-grade student whose school participated in a fundraiser in the spring that earned $5,000 for DonorsChoose.

Watch these inspiring stories of "The Greatest Gift" Friday on "20/20" at 10 p.m. ET.