Boston Bombing Victim Meets the Woman Who Saved Her Life; Verizon Compelled to Hand Over Phone Records of Millions of Customers
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Getting some news just into us here from Boston, specifically from the Boston Police Department. Here's what they're telling us, that security is being tightened right now after a dozen schools received suspicious letters. We're told that these letters contained threatening language, but did not target any specific individuals. They were postmarked from Texas, but do not believe there is any credible threat. So, that's the latest from Boston public schools. Speaking of Boston, from tragedy to tears of joy -- a bombing victim finally meets the stranger who helped save her life after the explosions happened on that marathon Monday. Erika Brannock was in agony, crumpled near the finish line. Then there was a woman knelt down to help her. She used her own belt as a tourniquet to help stop the bleeding. And Erika had no clue who this woman was, didn't know her name. But CNN tracked down this woman who saved her life. And this is the emotional reunion, thanks to Randi Kaye.</s>RANDI KAYE, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is what someone looks like waiting to meet the person, a stranger, who saved their life.</s>ERIKA BRANNOCK, BOMBING SURVIVOR: Yes. I told my cousin last night that it's kind of like the night before Christmas, where you're so excited, but nervous at the same time and you can't sleep.</s>KAYE: Her name is Erika Brannock.</s>KAYE: Her name is Erika Brannock. Two days ago she left a hospital in Boston, the last victim of the Boston bombings to be discharged. They were two strangers who met in a moment of terror. Erica was gravely wounded losing one leg and breaking another. As she lay on the sidewalk in agony, she remembers this woman in the yellow sweater with the brown hair coming out of nowhere to help her. Her name is Amanda North, but Erika didn't know that at the time.</s>AMANDA NORTH, HELPED BOSTON BOMBING VICTIM: I do remember moving over and crawling over and reaching out to her because she was conscious.</s>KAYE: Amanda was the first to hear Erika's screams. She saw Erika's lower left leg had been blown off and yelled for help. Amanda took off her belt, which was used as a turn any cut. A photographer for the "Boston Globe" captured the moment. When we visited with Erika on Monday, the day she was released from the hospital in Boston, we showed her the photo of the woman she so desperately wanted to find. Erica thought she had said her name was Joan and she was from California.</s>BRANNOCK: That's Joan right there. And then she's holding my hand right there. And then this is my right leg.</s>KAYE: Monday night after our story aired on "AC 360," we found Erika's "Joan," who we now know is Amanda North. We arranged for her to fly from California to meet Erika in Baltimore where she's in rehab. What did Erika think when her mom told her the good news?</s>BRANNOCK: she had said, do you want to meet Joan tomorrow? And I just -- I started crying.</s>KAYE: Within 24 hours, the two were set to meet.</s>BRANNOCK: I really just want to thank her for helping me and, you know, being there for me and holding my hand the whole time.</s>KAYE: Are you a little nervous as we head inside?</s>NORTH: You know, I really am. It's a strange thing. In a way, she's a stranger to me, but when you share things like this, you feel like you've known someone your entire life. So it's -- I'm looking forward to meeting her but I'm a little nervous.</s>KAYE: Moments later, raw emotion.</s>NORTH: Oh, my God. Look at you. Look at you.</s>BRANNOCK: So glad we found you.</s>NORTH: I have thought about you every moment ...</s>BRANNOCK: Me, too.</s>NORTH: ... since the marathon. I didn't know how to get a hold of you, what had happened to you.</s>KAYE: Like old friends, the two exchanged gifts. Erika gave Amanda a necklace with a dragonfly on it to match hers.</s>BRANNOCK: I wanted you to have one, too.</s>KAYE: Amanda brought Erika her favorite scarf.</s>NORTH: And I want you to just think of me whenever you wear this and know that I'm always there for you. It never goes away. We're friends for life.</s>BRANNOCK: We are. We're always going to be connected.</s>NORTH: Yes, we will. Never going to stop holding your hand, no matter what happens.</s>KAYE: Both suffered serious injuries ...</s>BRANNOCK: They started wrapping my leg, so they have it wrapped up really tight.</s>KAYE: ... including perforated eardrums, but today they laughed about getting each other's names wrong.</s>NORTH: You thought my name was Joan and I thought your name was Irene.</s>BRANNOCK: I know. I don't know how we could have gotten them so wrong, but it was so loud.</s>KAYE: Finally together, they relived that terrible day.</s>BRANNOCK: I had this horrible feeling that I was going to die, like I could sense that something was really wrong. Right away, you came right up to me, and you grabbed my hand and you told me that you weren't going to let go. And you didn't.</s>NORTH: I felt like there was a reason I was there. I just felt this compulsion to go over to you.</s>KAYE: Erika's extended family all thanked Amanda for helping save Erika that day, but it was this moment between Amanda and Erika's mother who had been given Erika's belongings at the hospital that said so much.</s>CAROL DOWNING, ERIKA BRANNOCK'S MOTHER: I was just thinking I could be holding these and she wouldn't be here, and I'm so thankful for you that she's here.</s>KAYE: To Erika and her family, Amanda is a hero, but Amanda just wants to be known as a friend, a new friend for life. Randi Kaye, CNN, Baltimore.