Transcripts For KGO Nightline 20121225 : vimarsana.com

Impossible after impossible. Reporter Eben Alexander survived a neardeath experience and now carries the memory of what he says was a journey to heaven, a journey that all his scientific training can not explain. On november 10th, 2008, eben awoke with a searing headache. When holley checked on him he was having a tremendous seizure. I said Say Something and he didnt say anything. Zblbt eben was rushed to the hospital where he was a neurosurgery. All we could make out was help and screaming. Reporter he had been stricken with a rare and virulent ecloy meningitis infection. I was trying to die. Reporter doctors gave him almost no chance to live and told his family if he did survive he would be brain damaged if rest of his life. His eye was off and cocked. It was like no one was there. Reporter eben believes that holley was right. He wasnt there. Did you go to heaven . Yes. I mean, in every sense of the word, thats what my experience showed me. Reporter his first recollection was being a speck of awareness in a dark and murky underworld. I was rescued by this beautiful spinning white light that had a melody, inde scribably beautiful melody that opened up into a bright valley. Just an incredible, rich, ultra real world of indescribable complexity. Reporter god was there he says and he soared on the wing of a butterfly with a beautiful young woman as his companion and the young woman gave him a message to take back from heaven. You are loved. You are cherished. There is nothing you have to fear. There is nothing you can do wrong. Reporter its a beautiful vision. But heaven . A lot of people are going to say, doctor, it was a hallucination. Your brain was zapped by this disease. All the wires got crossed and you saw a girl on a butterfly wing and spinning up in a melody. I know this was not a hallucination, not a dream, not what we call a con fablation. I know it really occurred and it occurred outside of my brain. Reporter but how . How can he even suggest that much lest complain claim that his experience is proof of heaven as he has called his new book. He showed us his brain scan. It was no it leaving any part of my cortex unaffected. Reporter so your conclusion is because all of this outer area which is the higher functioning was covered with the infection, what you experienced in the coma wasnt part of the brain . Right. Reporter many neuroscientists are kept couple arguing that his brain must have produced his visions somehow, most likely as he came out of coma. But Something Else happened. After he recovered, eben, who was adopted saw a picture of a sister from his biological family who died years ago, a woman he never knew. And i knew who my Guardian Angel was on the butterfly wing. It was the most profound experience ive ever had in this life. Your sister by birth and from a family that you didnt know because you were adopted who died several years ago, who you had never met, you saw while you were in coma . Yes. And that was the key. That explained everything. Reporter dinner time at the alexander home. They were not a particularly religious family before ebens coma. He was a skeptic. Not any more. This proves that our soul, our consciousness, our spirit, doesnt depend on the existence of the brain and body at all. And easily, is actually freed up to a much higher state of knowing when its freed from this body. Thanks to terry moran. Just ahead for us it wouldnt be christmas without reruns of a christmas story we catch up with the kid who nearly shot his eye out. Abc news nightline brought to you by the lincoln motor company. Reruns of a christmas story we sometimes life can be well, a little uncomfortable. But when its hard or hurts to go to the bathroom, theres dulcolax stool softener. Dulcolax stool softener doesnt make you go, it just makes it easier to go. Dulcolax stool softener. Make yourself comfortable. Excuse me, sir im gonna have to ask you to power down your little word game. I think your friends will understand. Oh no, its actually my geico app. See . I just uh paid my bill. Did you really . From the plane . Yeah, i can manage my policy, get roadside assistance, pretty much access geico 24 7. Sounds a little too good to be true sir. Ill believe that when pigs fly. Ok, did she seriously just say that . Geico. Just click away with our free mobile app. Nightline continues from new york city with juju chang. Well lets see theres the profanity spewing father and his nemesis the basement furnace. Theres the younger brother and the school bully and at the center of it all its ralphie, the boy who want asbe bee gun and the story that has become a hit broadway show. Today ralphie is all groan up. And here is abcs Neal Karlinsky with another look. Reporter whether you celebrate christmas or not there are as few movies as celebrates in the holidays as this one. What do you want for christmas little boy . Reporter a christmas story is the eggnog of cinema. You will shoot your eye out kid. Hohoho. Reporter most know him as ralphie, the boy with big eyes and wide expression forever linked to the role of a kid who wants nothing more than a beebe gun for christmas. Did you want a beebe gun or not so much . I had a beebe gun before that. Reporter today ralphie is all grown up. He is peter billingsley. Are you surprised that people still recognize you and come up to you for that role . I watched someone out front come up to you. I look somewhat the same. Reporter the kid who almost shot his eye out first was messy marvin in a series of wildly popular hersheys chocolate syrup ads. But over the years he moved behind the camera, from couples retreat to the breakup he is a successful hollywood producer and director. But after all this time he has never spoken in detail about the childhood role that followed him his whole life until now. The glasses were for real. I still wear contacts and need reading glasses. Reporter he agreed to speak with nightline at the opening of the musical he hopes to take all the way to broadway. Yes, leg lamp and all, a christmas story. No, no. I want air rifle. Lends itself to song and dance. If you can imagine the idea of a leg lamp kick line. Reporter the play wouldnt exist if the movie was not embedded in american culture. At the time, no one wanted to make the movie. No one believed in it back then . No. It was a kid wants a beebe gun. Not the most sinmatic pitch in the world, set in the depression. I dont think anybody expected it to turn out to be what it was. The film makers believed in it. Reporter the director had to agree to make a horror movie for the studio to get it green lighted. Another revelation, the flag pole scene. Stick my tongue to the pole is dumb. Reporter as a child actor on that film i would think i would be tempted to put my tongue to the flag pole. Did you do it . Fortunately prior to that i hadnt and that movie as a person to never do that thats true. That was a fake pole. And they had a tiny hole in it that was sucking air in it. I cant put my arms out. Put your arms down when you get to school. Reporter the kid who plays your brother he sounded so realistic. You said they were probably real tears. That suit was hot and that slide was scary to go down. Reporter on stage the new ralphie isnt blond but clark has the look down. Its my scared face like reporter and boy, can he sing. Ralphie to the rescue reporter on the Opening Night of the performance, seattles fifth avenue theater crowded with adults. I have loved this movie for eons, decades. Before the curtain opened it said a christmas story and it is the same music. Boy, this has come a long way since i was 12 years old. Reporter without a christmas story the World May Never know the joys of a leg lamp and kids might be sticking their tongues to flag poles. Thanks, neal. Next up for us we take a bite out of a british tradition that sounds absolutely disgusting. all the gulf it doesnt matter which of our great states folks visit. Mississippi, alabama, louisiana or florida, theyre gonna love it. Shaul, your alabama hospitality is incredible. Thanks, karen. Love your mississippi outdoors. I vote for your florida beaches, dawn. Bill, this louisiana seafood is delicious. Were having such a great year on the gulf, weve decided to put aside our rivalry. Now is the perfect time to visit anyone of our states. The beaches and waters couldnt be more beautiful. Take a boat ride, go fishing or just lay in the sun. Weve got coastline to explore and wildlife to photograph. And theres world class dining with our world famous seafood. So for a great vacation this year, come to the gulf. Its all fabulous but i give florida the edge. Right after mississippi. You mean alabama. Say louisiana or theres no dessert. This invitation is brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home. Well its Christmas Eve and there is always the slight fear of that dreaded gift of fruitcake tomorrow. But when it comes to holiday food as a punch line we have nothing on our friends across the pond where the english enjoy a bizarre pudding complete with cow giblets. And now the pudding. Reporter the christmas pudding has been a fixture on british tables for centuries even before a christmas carole. It looks like the best youve ever made. Reporter christmas putting is a sloppy, boozefuelled fruitcake. A hell of a lot of booze. With fat from a cows kidneys thrown in. This is what makes it an incredible delicacy. Reporter you mix it up weeks or months in advance. We keep our pudding for a year or two years and they are wonderful puttyings. They are more interesting. Reporter Christmas Morning the christmas sweats in what looks like old underpants and brits cant get enough. And at the suppliers to the queen they fly off the shelves at 60 bucks a pop. But there is not much of an export market. Other nationalities dont really get this. Yeah. Reporter brits have invented and exported the television, soccer, the jet engine, the World Wide Web and english. But no one seems to hike our christmas pudding. But i know what most people who dont come from britain think of it is immensely heavy and indie jestable, a cannon ball. Reporter americans suspicion can be traced back to the settlers. Christmas pudding was banned by the settlers. Alcohol, fruit, almonds and steaming as much as possible. Reporter thats the nightline producer in london. He makes his own pudding, an adaptation of the babylonian ladys recipe. That is christmas. But we both grew up here and have been eating it since we were kids. Do you have to grow up with it to like it . Can you acquire a taste . Were going to find some foreigners and force them to eat it. We had some language issues. Christmas pudding . Reporter and fabricated excuses. Youre allergic . Reporter but every foreigner who tried it its really good. Good, good. Thank you very much. Reporter they loved it. And the ultimate test, americans. Its much better than fruitcake. Its good. Its good. Could use more cinnamon. Reporter add cinnamon, do whatever you like to it. Just try it. No reason you shouldnt eat pudding. Until you have eaten a steamed british pudding you havent lived. Reporter we fry the leftover pudding the next day in a pan with brandy butter. It doesnt get much more unhealthy and doesnt get much better. Im nick watt for nightline in london. Nick, the tourists were just being polite. Thanks to you, though. Thank you for watching abc news, Good Morning America will be with you in the morning. We leave you tonight with a look at the important people who have brought nightline to you over the past year. We hope you have a happy holiday and will see you here tomorrow. The past year. Up next on Jimmy Kimmel Live samuel l. Jackson. I think you are known for cursing more than anyone else. Why is that . Because you curse all the time. The cast of jersey shore and this year in unnecessary sensorship. I p