A (1:55)

Yeah. Okay, that's next. Welcome to Bur Adventure 2026. We have been spending a good amount of time this morning. Also, it's kind of new for us is bringing back bur big adventure kids from previous years. Cuz, believe it or not, they grow up and they have these really great

C (2:13)

success stories, which is beautiful to watch them grow up, even though it is. You do make Us feel old because we picture you on the trip that you were on. So yeah, that, that's the only, like, side effect for us is you make us feel like old geezers. But it's still a beautiful thing.

A (2:27)

And for whatever reason, Jennifer, you are this. You are the prime example for me of what Kristen is saying is like, I have you frozen at like 7 years old. So when I heard you were coming on today and you had just bought a house, I'm like, what irresponsible loner gave a seven year old a house? But it's so good to have you back.

B (2:46)

I'm happy to be back.

A (2:47)

How old were you when you went on the trip?

B (2:49)

Six years old.

A (2:50)

Six years old. And that was how long ago?

B (2:54)

I'm not good at math. I don't know.

C (2:55)

2007.

A (2:57)

2007. And she has been so proactive of coming back and hanging out and helping out. Now we had one mic ready for you, but you were rolling four deep this morning. Sorry. Don't apologize. The more the merrier here. So tell us what's been going on in your life?

B (3:13)

I just bought a house.

A (3:18)

Congrats.

B (3:19)

Thank you. It's really stressful.

A (3:21)

Is it?

B (3:21)

Yes.

A (3:22)

What's so stressful about it? Having to pay for it.

B (3:24)

Exactly.

C (3:25)

It's kind of a big responsibility, I say. But it's a. It's a milestone now because you are in a wheelchair. Jennifer, was there something specific you were looking for when you were looking for your first house?

B (3:36)

Yes. I wanted it to be one story so I. It's something flat.

A (3:40)

Yep.

B (3:41)

That way I can go around because, yes, I can walk, but there's also times we have accidents and, you know, I break my arm, break my leg, and I need it to be wheelchair accessible.

C (3:49)

Gotcha.

A (3:50)

Okay, wait a second. So let's not just go right by that, what do you mean you break your arm and break your leg? How are those things happening?

B (3:55)

I'm clumsy at fall.

A (3:57)

All right, fair enough.

C (3:58)

Okay.

A (3:59)

I'm fragile.

C (4:00)

She's like your son on a scooter.

B (4:01)

Okay, okay.

A (4:02)

Hopefully you're a little better than that. So what else have you been doing? So you have to pay for this house. So what have you been doing with your life?

B (4:09)

Selling my art.

A (4:10)

Selling your art. That's right.

C (4:12)

We have to get you with Aiden because we just had Aiden on and he's getting his own art installation at the High Museum. And Jennifer does beautiful art because if you remember, she did a portrait of you that was fantastic that we auctioned off.

A (4:25)

Right. How's the Art selling, obviously, it's selling well enough to get a house.

B (4:30)

I'm getting there.

A (4:31)

Yes. So we got that going for us. I want to sort of stress, because you have told us before also that with your parents, there's, like, this fine line, I think, when you have a child that has special needs and is in a wheelchair to help out, but also establish independence. So what kind of advice can you give to parents that have kids that are like you to walk that very fine line?

B (4:55)

I know parents want to be there for their kids and help them, but you need to let them learn. It's okay if they fail. That's what makes them stronger. Let them learn that they can do it themselves.

A (5:06)

And the result of that is somebody that's selling her art online has now got her own house.

C (5:10)

I love it so much. Congratulations.

B (5:12)

Thank you so much.

A (5:13)

It's really great to see you. Really great to see you and your entourage.

C (5:16)

Thank you guys for coming this morning.

A (5:19)

Security, they weren't sure what was going to happen this morning. They're rolling deep with security.

C (5:22)

I wouldn't trust anybody around you.

B (5:25)

All right.

A (5:25)

We usually have a letter that we read from one Burt's Big Adventure mom, who is so, like, passionate about it, she writes one every year.

C (5:32)

Holly is the best. She is the mother of Elizabeth. I call her Princess Elizabeth. So Princess Elizabeth went on the 2012 trip. She had a brain tumor. I just got in the mail her graduation photo.

A (5:46)

Oh, yeah, yeah.

C (5:47)

Her. Her senior high school graduation photo. But what Holly does every year is she sends a letter to Molly, which Molly ends up sharing with all of us. And it's just sending us well wishes on the trip. And she's been doing this since 2012, and we wanted to share with you today what Ms. Holly said. Dear BBA family, if this first month is any indication, 28, 2018 will be an exciting time to be a Burt's Big Adventure family. I relish sharing photos with other BBA's families as we played in the snow and prepared to welcome our new families in the next couple of weeks. Seeing families. Wait, this is from 2018. Do I have the right email?

A (6:26)

Hey, Molly. Hey, Molly.

C (6:31)

I just. When I said 2018, I was like.

A (6:33)

I. I was a little on the confused side. Also, she sent you the wrong letter.

C (6:37)

I was just still going to read it.

B (6:39)

And.

A (6:44)

There's. What?

C (6:47)

Oh, we read this one every year.

B (6:49)

Oh.

C (6:49)

Oh, okay.

A (6:50)

I got that one all wrong.

C (6:51)

Yeah, we did.

B (6:52)

Wow.

C (6:52)

We. We're really crushing this radio thing. Bert, maybe you should retire.

A (6:56)

Totally, totally hacked out. Okay. So it's the same letter every year.

C (7:01)

Okay, here we go.

A (7:02)

It sounded so much more impressive when I said she writes a new letter every year. It's just not true. But we have never let the truth get in the way of a good story on this show, so. So here we go.

C (7:12)

Seeing family's favorite pictures from past BBA trips showed once again that each year's trip has its own personality. But the magic is the same. Our kiddos look more alike than different when you see the wonder in their eyes and joy on their faces. Year to year, I am humbled once again to be a part of this special little family. As it grows each year, our BBA family is cozy and comfortable, even in the most difficult of times. I love you all. Show through. Your dedication to these families makes my heart smile. And I must confess, I had to giggle when I read the Facebook post from Cindy Powers asking for a volunteer that looks like a little. Looks a little like Maui from Moana. In my eyes, I could see Cindy auditioning a dozen young men, each hoping for the chance to pretend to be the rock. You're welcome. EG and I are praying for you all. We pray for those volunteers who will work behind the scenes to prepare surprises for our new families and for those who will prepare the food and decorations for the welcome and send off parties. We pray for the volunteers who will spoil families at the airport and forever ruin air travel. No other time will they move so quickly through security. We pray for the army of volunteers who make our children feel like rock stars. May their costumes be clean, pressed, and fit like a glove. We pray that the new members of your team are ready for the wild and wonderful controlled chaos that is Bert's big adventure trip and that our old timers are refreshed and ready for new adventures. We pray for perfect weather, stamina, and strong backs to carry supplies, souvenirs, and weary children. We pray for comfortable walking shoes and dry socks. We pray for batteries that stay fully charged and clean lenses to capture every moment of your time together. We pray that each of you have a moment to catch your breath and enjoy your families. We pray that you have the chance to see your old favorites in a new light and that you each find a new experience, something you've never noticed or experienced on your past trips. Find a little BBA magic of your own. We're praying that this year's families feel the genuine love you have for them and build the kind of kinship we have with our fellow families from 2012 and that they will feel welcomed in this wacky little family of ours. We're looking forward to meeting them.

A (9:19)

So, like I said right at the start, a timeless classic from Elizabeth Oden's mom, Holly, that we read every single year, sort of.

C (9:28)

I love it so much.

A (9:29)

All right, coming up in a couple of seconds here, we're going to introduce you guys to Brooke. The family is fascinating for a couple of reasons. First of all, she will only eat french fries from Zaxby's, McDonald's, Chick Fil? A, no ketchup, spaghettios, sour cream, and onion chips. That's one fascinating part. The second part of this is we're going to talk to the parents that have a very different angle. Looking back at Brooke's diagnosis and what was going on with them. It was very, very traumatic. Most parents come on here and they know the exact D of when they found out what their kid has, and they can sort of rediscover every single instance that happened. This is a family that was. It was so traumatic, they can't remember most of it. And it's kind of an angle we've never heard before. Next on the Birch Show. Get it? The Birch Show.

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A (12:10)

Shop up to 50% off site wide plus a free professional measure during the President's Day mega sale. Last chance happening right now@blinds.com terms apply. So you would think by 8:40 in the morning, my eyes would be wide open now, you know, but we haven't done this in a couple of months. I just turned to Kristen. I'm like, kristen, I just looked at this picture on Instagram that you posted and my eyes aren't fully open. Is that just in my head?

C (12:34)

No, your eyes aren't open. I don't know what's going on, but your eyes are not fully open.

A (12:38)

I don't know, man. It's been three hours. The coffee should have kicked in by now.

C (12:42)

I. I actually noticed that when I posted the photo, but guess what? I still posted it anyway.

A (12:47)

All right, you guys, we need a little. And I'll tell you why. We're asking you guys for about five bucks. Just a little give again this year. If you text the word Bert B E R T, they're having way more fun back there than we are.

C (12:58)

I'm sorry, you have. You're stuck here with us, Brooke, and you're not back there doing whatever.

A (13:02)

You guys are missing out on a great time, apparently.

C (13:05)

Just so you guys know, we're at the Hilton Atlanta Airport hotel. We're in a ballroom. We have a bouncy house in the back. Like, all the fun kid activities are in the back. And then the boring broadcast is in the front. And needless to say, we make it a party before we hop on our private endeavor flight to Disney.

A (13:20)

So let me tell you why we ask you guys for like five, ten bucks for this weekend by texting the word Bert to 50155, the little gift. And by the way, Zaxby's helping us out again this year.

C (13:30)

They are matching every donation. So if you text Bert B E R T to 50155, if you donate five bucks, Zaxby's just turned that into 10. You donate 20. They just turned it into 40. It's that simple. You can also donate online@birdsbigadventure.org so why

A (13:44)

do we even do that? So when we're walking through the parks with our Burt's Big Adventure kids, they may go, oh, my God, can I have some Mickey ear ears? Can I have some Mickey ears? Well, sure you can, but at Disney World, those will set you back 45. 45.

C (13:57)

Okay, first, doing the math. And FYI, 99 of the time, the kids don't do that and the parents don't do that. We have to force them to spend their souvenir dollars. But I have no problem shopping for everybody.

A (14:09)

One of the backpacks up to 95. I'm like, getting mad. It's like the prices haven't gone down and I'm getting mad about it.

C (14:17)

Do you make sure to buy stock in Disney every year before we go on the trip?

A (14:20)

I'm going to start the budget items we can talk about, like keychains and toys. We can. We can get those for under 20 bucks.

C (14:28)

And the pins. Oh, we get. We buy so many pins because we have our Burt's Big Adventure lanyards.

A (14:32)

And that's such kind of a big part of the trip also is the kids getting into the park. And we explain what the pins are all about and how you could trade with other kids in the park if they want to. But the Disney employees, the cast members, have to. They absolutely have to give you a pin. So if you can do it this morning and just give us five or ten bucks, that Zaxby's will indeed, they will match that, and that will go a long way in the parks. I promise you that.

C (14:55)

Text Bert B E R T to 50155.

A (14:58)

All right, so let's introduce you guys to Brooke and Ashley and Jason and Eliza. And we've got a doctor here for good reason also because this is a fascinating family for a couple of different reasons. First of all, do I have this right, Brooke, that there's only a couple of different food items that you will eat? That is correct. And what are those food items?

B (15:20)

French fries and chips and biscuit Os.

A (15:24)

And that's it. That's all.

C (15:26)

I mean, she's a woman who knows what she likes.

A (15:29)

When Molly told us that, she's like, literally, there's only three things that she will eat. We're like, you must got that wrong. No, those are the only three things.

C (15:36)

And, Brooke, guess what we brought with us? French fries, chips, and Spaghettios. We got you covered.

A (15:43)

Girl, yeah, you were easy. You were super, super easy. So this is a fascinating family in another way also, because I think through all the years that we've done Burt's Big Adventure, generally speaking, when you talk to the moms and the dads, they remember the date that they found out what they were going to be going through for the next couple of years. They remember all of the details. There are times where we're calling the families and I'm asking them about their child and what they have that I have to remind myself that I'm not talking to a doctor because they're so well educated on what their kids have. This is the first family, and I'm not saying this in a bad way. Different parents are going to handle their situations differently. And mom here, when she was going through her own stuff while Brooke was going through her stuff, doesn't hardly have any memory of what was going on back in the day, Correct?

B (16:32)

Yes.

A (16:33)

Tell us all about that.

B (16:35)

After I had my open heart surgery, it kind of just went away.

A (16:38)

So tell us about the timing of that. Was it open heart surgery and then you find out about Brooke, or was it Brooke then open heart?

B (16:43)

It was. We found out about Brooke went through. She went into remission. Everything was clear with that. And then right when we. She got remission, I got sick with COVID and I went in, and then they did a bunch of test and found out I had heart issues, and they had to do open heart surgery.

C (17:02)

All right, so I do feel like there's going to be some, like. Because you went. You compounded trauma, essentially, because your child gets diagnosed with leukemia and you have to go through that.

B (17:10)

Yes.

C (17:11)

And the whole family goes through that together, which is why we bring the entire family on the bird's big adventure trip. And then after that, you have your own medical traumatic experience. So it would make sense that there's memory regression just for self preservation.

B (17:26)

Yes. I was in ICU for a while, too.

C (17:29)

Yeah.

A (17:29)

37 days.

B (17:31)

That's a long. Wow. Yeah.

A (17:34)

So. And you don't really remember most of the journey for Brooke?

B (17:37)

I remember, like, key things, but I cannot remember dates. But I can remember the doctors and all that and how wonderful they were. I mean, Choa helped me, and Choa has helped my daughter. They're like another family to us.

A (17:52)

Brook, what you got here?

B (17:53)

I remember, like, drifting off the street. Huh.

A (17:58)

And that's about it.

B (17:59)

Yeah. That's all.

A (18:00)

Because normally when we come on. We knew this before you came on today, is that we'll ask mom and dad exactly. What got you to this point? What is what was going on? And we were told early on, like they don't remember. Man, this was really pretty traumatic. Now, dad, do you have more of a memory of all that was going on because you have all this trauma going on around you and you're trying to keep it together?

C (18:21)

Yeah, it's been tough because it was

A (18:24)

one thing after the other.

B (18:27)

But yeah, we got through with Brooke around July 3rd of 2021.

C (18:31)

And that next year we went straight

B (18:34)

into Ashley's heart problems, which one of her problems was a birth defect. So both Brooke and Ashley both had their surgeries at show up because it was considered a birth defect.

A (18:48)

Okay. So they saved two people's lives in our family. Incredible.

C (18:52)

We love choa.

B (18:53)

We love choa.

A (18:55)

I wanted to kind of normalize this, but of course we're not smart enough to do that. So we had to bring a doctor in. Dr. Himalay Sabness. Sabness, Do I have that right?

B (19:04)

Yeah, it's Himalay.

A (19:05)

Okay, Himalay, look, look at this resume here. It's going to take me nine minutes to get through. How smart you are. Associate professor in pediatric hermatology, hematology oncology and clinical director at the Leukemia lymphoma program at the Affleck center and Blood Disorder Center, Children's healthcare of Atlanta and Emory University.

B (19:26)

Yes, it's a mouthful.

A (19:29)

All right, so is this common or is this fairly not common?

B (19:33)

You mean the long term effects that we see in families that's actually quite

A (19:37)

common that can't really remember anything that was going on at the time? Tell us about it.

B (19:41)

So when, you know, it's, it's interesting. We take care of a lot of kids at Children's and everyone has their unique memory of it and unique journey. But what really is important for us to know is that it's not just the impact of the cancer itself. Yeah, it's basically a lifelong impact that pervades every member of the family, whether it's the parents, whether it's the siblings, the grandparents, it really makes an impact for the rest of their lives. And we, when we see kids and we are treating them, we're really focused on curing them. Right. That's our first and only goal. But beyond the cure, there's so much more that these families endure and it could potentially cause problems for the rest of their life. And these are things that are subtle. So we think about neurocognitive changes that we see in patients with leukemia survivors especially that they can have Effects in memory and in cognition and processing and remembering things. And these impact pretty much their entire future. And so families have to go through that, because it's almost like a second level of training and second level of the recovery.

C (20:57)

Yeah. Children's Healthcare of Atlanta has incredible doctors, incredible, incredible facilities. But I think it's like the childhood specialist and those that come in to help you understand the diagnosis and also to help with the siblings and parents and just that added level of comfort, because, yeah, you have the doctors who need to cure the diagnosis, but there's also a lot of psychological effects that come with dealing with a traumatic experience like that.

B (21:23)

Yeah, I always say that this is not a one man's job or one woman's job. It's really a team effort. I mean, none of what we do could be possible without amazing. Without our amazing nurse practitioners, our nurses, social work, even our schedulers. Like, I feel as though every person does a little bit for each kid.

A (21:40)

Ashley, you look like you got. Like, you have something you want to say about it.

B (21:43)

No, I'm just agreeing with her. Like I said, they're like another family. I don't know what I would do without them. They're amazing. They have been a blessing.

A (21:51)

What do you want to say to the moms? Because I wonder if there's, like, some guilt involved sometimes where you don't remember that.

B (21:57)

I do have mom guilt from that, but I can't. I can't be hard on myself. There's nothing that I can do about it. But I do have mom guilt for that.

A (22:06)

And I think today what I wanted to do is just normalize this for some of the other moms and dads that are going through it. Like, hey, you're not the only one. I mean, here is a family, and it makes a lot of sense when you go through something like that. I. I'd be the exact same way, man. I would try to compartmentalize, but I would try to do it on purpose where yours is not.

B (22:24)

Like, I'm just happy. She is healthy and happy now, and that's all that matters to me at this moment.

C (22:30)

Oh, I know she's happy. When she got out of that car last night, I got the biggest hug and the biggest smile. She was ready to get into that party and start Burt's big adventure.

B (22:38)

She was excited, that's for sure.

A (22:40)

All right, let's talk about some more fun stuff. Do you. Do you like this recording artist right here? Yeah.

B (22:57)

I don't know.

A (22:58)

You don't know? You don't know if you like Bruno Mars? Because this is going to go terribly. This is going to go really, really terribly if you don't like Bruno Mars.

B (23:07)

I. I know the song.

A (23:09)

Okay.

B (23:09)

She knows that the apt.

A (23:13)

Okay. All right.

B (23:15)

She would start dancing.

A (23:16)

Okay.

B (23:17)

For sure.

A (23:18)

Well, maybe you could start listening to more Bruno Mars because you're going to need to be well schooled. Okay. Because we're about to hook you up. All right, let's bring Carly in. Carly from gas south.

C (23:30)

Hey, Carly Stevens from gas South.

B (23:34)

Hi, Brooke. Hi, guys.

A (23:36)

This, by the way, is not Bruno Mars.

B (23:38)

No, no, no, no, no, no.

C (23:39)

But she looks like a rock star in her sunglasses. She does.

B (23:42)

That's right.

C (23:42)

Thank you very much.

B (23:43)

I appreciate that.

C (23:44)

I know it's really difficult to, you know, believe that I have a job

B (23:47)

at gas out based on my dance moves last night.

C (23:51)

I know you probably thought I was a backup dancer, but I work for a great company.

B (23:55)

We're natural gas. Boring. But the really unboring thing about gas

C (23:59)

south is that we're full of incredible people who care. And, Brooke, we care about you and we care about your family, and we're

B (24:07)

so excited for you to go to

C (24:09)

Disney, but we want to keep that excitement going.

B (24:12)

So gas south gives 5% of our

C (24:14)

profits back to the community.

B (24:15)

Great. Blah, blah, blah.

C (24:17)

Right.

B (24:17)

What does that mean? What that means for you is on April 26, we're going to send you and your family to go see this guy.

C (24:25)

Oh, Bruno Mars.

B (24:28)

And tell me, what row do you see think you need to be in

C (24:34)

to see this guy?

B (24:37)

The first row. The first row.

A (24:39)

Absolutely. Yeah, you do, because we want to

C (24:45)

make sure that he sees you and you see him.

B (24:47)

And not only that, we've partnered with

C (24:49)

our good friends the fur bus. And so they're gonna come and pick you up, bring you down to the concert, and then you're gonna have the best time ever. And then they're gonna pick you up

B (25:01)

and bring you back home so that

C (25:03)

you can keep the memories going.

B (25:05)

Does that sound good? All right, so I'm gonna check back in, though.

C (25:09)

I want all of you to know the dance. Okay? I looked at it last night. I did not have time to learn it. It's all good, Cardin.

A (25:15)

We'll give you a break.

C (25:16)

Maybe after April 26th and you go see that concert, you can come back and teach me some of his dance moves. Does that sound good? He puts on such a great show. Bruno Mars live is unlike anything you've ever seen. And I couldn't im imagine watching him from the front row at Bobby Dodd Stadium, April 26.

B (25:35)

That is so neat. Thank you guys so much. Thank you.

C (25:37)

I hope you have a great time

A (25:39)

and enjoy, I think.

B (25:41)

Are you excited about this, sis? Yeah.

C (25:46)

Yeah. She's like, listen, full disclosure. She was like, I don't want to talk. Don't put me on the radio. Honey, whenever you tell me that, I'm gonna put you on the radio.

A (25:56)

And if you're not totally excited about it, we will take your ticket and we will scalp it.

C (26:00)

No, we won't. We don't do that.

A (26:03)

We will turn around and we will sell that. You guys enjoy Bruno Mars, okay? And welcome to Burt's Big Adventures.

B (26:08)

Thank you so much.

A (26:09)

It's Q997. Thank you. Listen, it's the Vert Show.

C (26:18)

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A (28:19)

have a different meaning. Like when you're given to Burt's Big Adventure to see where your money is going in such a small organization. That's the thing that I've kind of loved about Burt's Big Adventure all these years is, look, every charity is awesome. Let me just go and say that some of them are so large, though, that you can give a donation and not be exactly sure where your money is going. Whereas with ours, when you're only bringing like 12 or 13 families a year and you can really feel the trip through the pictures and the video, I want you guys to feel that and embrace it. Because without you guys and your donations, there's no burks. Big Adventure. So that's why we bring so many photographers and have so much media for you guys to really dive in. So all of those pictures, all the video, all the social media up at Burt's big adventure.org Yep.

C (29:05)

And also for the families. So we really want them to be present. For a lot of families, this is their first vacation together because they have spent so much time at the hospital. And also hospital stays can be expensive. So we give the families all of those photos and all of those videos. That way they can just enjoy themselves. And they have all these professional photos and videos after the trip is done to relive it over and over and over again.

A (29:30)

I told Kristen before this segment started, I'm like, this one has a lot to do with mom. This one is going to focus on mom. So, Kristen, you roll with it and I'll roll with you.

C (29:39)

All right, so we have Beth here with us. And this is Manny and Lainey's mom among. You got a crew, girl. Serious, you got a crew.

A (29:48)

We are rolling deep here.

B (29:49)

Oh, yeah.

C (29:50)

You are the incredible mother of five. And I would love for you to dote on every single one of your kids.

B (29:56)

Hi. So, yes, I have Lainey. Laney is my survivor. It'll be eight years in May.

C (30:02)

Yes.

A (30:03)

Surviving what?

B (30:05)

She had a germ cell tumor. We found out that she had cancer when she was about 11 months. I knew at first something wasn't quite right, but she was formally diagnosed at 11 months. And so she's coming up on her eight year anniversary. This was her one wish. So I'm so happy that she gets to come to Disney. Next, I have Inslee. Inslee is six years old. Old. She's in kindergarten. I have tan Taurian is in the 10th grade. He'll be military bound when he graduates.

A (30:40)

Hey, congrats and thanks.

B (30:41)

Going to the Air Force. And then we have Mariana. Mariana goes to Kennesaw State University, and this is her first year. She's a freshman living on campus. Having some time as like an only a big girl away from a big family. And then we have last, my man with a plan. That's Manny. And Manny is 10 years old, so it's a big deal for him to be two hands. Now he's in the fourth grade, and he has trisomy 21. And he was my first baby that I had that I found out that I would be joining a big family of people in support.

A (31:20)

I heard he's the hugger.

B (31:21)

Oh, yeah, the hugger.

C (31:22)

I love it.

B (31:23)

Kiss her.

C (31:24)

He's affectionate and I love it so much. Yeah. Because it happens more often than not that we have families with not one, but two Burt's Big Adventure Kids. So Manny and Laney are both birds, Big Adventure Kids. And I think with to be a mother of five and then on top of that, have two children with special needs, you have a little extra weight on your shoulders.

B (31:45)

Oh, to say the least. Also, my mom is here, Olivia. So my mom, she's a retired nurse. So it was really, really helpful to have my mom when she be in the hospital or just if I had questions. And I did not. Luckily, I was able to text doctors and say, I don't know what this means. I don't know what this is. But then I also had my mom, who was there to say, okay, this is what this means, and I can help you through that.

A (32:07)

This really is a family where it takes a village.

B (32:09)

Oh, God.

A (32:09)

This is a great example right here.

C (32:11)

So when everything. If we can talk about. Because Manny is older than Lanie, correct? Yes.

A (32:16)

So.

C (32:17)

So can you talk us a little bit through Manny's journey and Laney's journey?

B (32:22)

Yes. So when I was pregnant with Manny, I was told that I was having a wonderful, healthy word baby. So I had so many ultrasounds. We had so many things, and we would say, like, okay, like, this seems great. And we, you know, you would see the heart. You would see everything. And you don't know that what you're looking at is abnormal. You think everything is normal. But when I was in labor with Manny, they were like, something's not quite right. Oxygen masks were placed. It was very scary. I remember waking up not knowing what happened. And I had a baby, and I was like, oh, I had a Baby. And then there was all these beeps and noises. He was attached to all this stuff. And that's when I found out that something wasn't right. So dad knew before me because I had been placed into an emergency C section. But I found out at that point they were like, hey, he may have down syndrome, and he may have a heart defect, and he may have this and that and the scary part. And I don't really feel like people should be told this, but they were like, and he may only live to this age. And I'm like, okay, you know, you just had a baby. It's like, what is happening?

A (33:31)

What was the age they told you?

B (33:33)

Oh, my God. I feel like I blocked it out. It was 40 something. Okay, 40 something. And I was like, no way is that normal? I didn't know anything about down syndrome, so immediately I started googling to see what. And I remember there was a show on TV called Born this Way, and it was with all the kids with down syndrome. So I really got to see firsthand. Just not reading, but actually seeing how they live. And I was like, oh, they're just like, normal, fun kids. So that was that journey. Start with Manny and then with Lanie. When Lainey was born, she was very, very fussy. Fussy baby. And that's normal to most people. Like, oh, my baby cries. I was like, no, my baby cries. She cries a lot. So then I just kept saying, something's not right, but no one would listen to me. And they just said, oh, it's colic, or it may be this or that, but it turns out it wasn't. When she was 11 months, she started bleeding, and I said, now I know that's not normal, right? And they were like, no. No, it's not. So go to the emergency room.

A (34:31)

You didn't need to call your mom for that one.

B (34:33)

No, it was like, that's not normal. You may need to go to the hospital. And then that's when we found out, and we got paired with this amazing team. There was a pediatric gynecologist that I didn't even know existed, and she's the one that diagnosed Lainey with having the germ cell tumor. They ran many tests. She had many surgeries. Immediately, I was placed on the most aggressive chemo. Luckily, she only had four months of chemo, and she's been in remission now for. This is going on eight years.

A (35:02)

Okay, that's great.

C (35:03)

Yeah, let's cheer for that remission, because that's a huge milestone. Grandma Olivia, if I can ask You a question? How hard was it to see your baby go through all of this with her babies?

B (35:18)

How do you hear her?

C (35:19)

Grandma Olivia? How hard was it to watch your baby go through all of this with her babies?

B (35:26)

She said, how hard was it to watch me go through all of this? Oh, it's hard to even hear it.

C (35:31)

Yeah. To relive it, too.

B (35:33)

It's very difficult. Okay, now I.

A (35:37)

Now you can hear us. Okay. We sound way better when you can hear us.

C (35:40)

Oh, they actually. They turned her. Her headset on.

B (35:42)

So.

C (35:42)

Good.

A (35:43)

That's a nice touch.

B (35:44)

I didn't understand what you were saying.

C (35:46)

Grandma Olivia, you're good. We're excited that you're recording. And the fact. Because this is, I think, a key point of Burt's big adventure, we take everybody in the house, right? So if it's. If it's an auntie, if it's a grandma, like whoever is there helping the household and helping with the children, you get, you deserve to go on this trip as well. So we are honored to have you with us.

B (36:06)

I am so appreciative. Christian, you, Bert, Amanda, everybody. It's. I can't even express how much I appreciate you letting me be a part of this with my family. Bethany is my baby, and these are my babies, too.

A (36:25)

Yeah. Although you didn't hear it, I think Kristen's question, it's worth revisiting here, because I think it doesn't matter how old your kids are. They're always your babies. Right. So Kristen's question really was, it must have been very difficult for you to watch your baby with her babies go through this whole thing.

B (36:42)

Yes, most definitely. When I went to the hospital and saw Manny, of course, Downs is kind of easy to pick up. I mean, I'm a nurse, but I'm not a doctor. But, I mean, you don't have to be a nurse or a doctor to see a Downs child. And even as an infant, you can see it. And you say, no, I hope not. But when they made the diagnosis, it was very difficult because I know what that road ahead was going to be like for her. And, you know, like I said, she's my baby. I love her. And she hurts. I hurts. And with Elaina, it was a little more difficult because it was kind of hard for somebody to make the diagnosis when I was like, no, go to somebody else. Something's wrong. You know, I knew. We knew something was not right. And when we finally got the diagnosis, it was like relief and yet sadness all at the same time. But, you know, we've been getting a lot of help, and I thank God and, you know, we're making it.

C (37:47)

Beth, would you. Would you say it's fair to say, like, yes, the journey is hard, but it's very rewarding because, like, your kids are also, like, just so happy and smiley and just good people.

B (37:59)

Yeah.

C (38:01)

Wait, wait. Your mic's not on.

B (38:05)

Yes, it definitely is a very rewarding journey. I didn't know how it would be, so it was rough, but I just wanted to keep a sense of normalcy in the house. So no one's ever felt like, wow, this is going on. And that's going on because I've been happy and making sure everybody stayed normal, making sure everyone stayed in their sports or made sure everyone danced and did everything that made their life feel normal.

C (38:30)

And so, yeah, so what we've realized is that, yes, you're a mother of five and you're very busy and maintaining that sense of normalcy and keeping the kids active and, you know, just being the consummate mom. All right, so, yes, the kids are going to have the most magical VIP experience. Experience in Disney. But we wanted to do something a little special for you because we know how hard it is for you to get away and have some time to yourself. So, mom to mom, I'm so excited to tell you this. Okay. Because I could not think of anybody more deserving of what you're about to hear. So please welcome Shelby Taylor Kolb. She's the director of marketing at Barnsley Resort. Good morning.

B (39:19)

So nice to see you and hear

C (39:20)

your remarkable story this morning. Thank you, Bert and Kristen, for having us. Thank you for being here and letting us be part of this. Absolutely. The moment I stepped foot on your property, I was like, we need you. Yes, absolutely. I'm so glad that we connected. Yes. So please tell Beth what you're doing for her. So, Bethany, Barnsley Resort. We are a 3,000 acre destination resort that's just a quick hour drive north of Atlanta. So when you have this big adventure with your family at Disney this week, we want you to come and let us take care of you. You can bring Grandma Olivia if you like. You can bring a girlfriend if you like, or you can come by yourself. For some peace and quiet, we're going to have you stay in one of our beautiful one bedroom suite cottages. It's beautifully decorated by Charlotte Lucas Southern Botanicals.

B (40:04)

A peaceful porch where you can enjoy

C (40:07)

coffee and hear the sounds of the birds. In the morning, we're going to send you to the spa and give you a signature Barnsley Bamboo Massage have dinner for you at our new signature restaurant, Jules, with chef Sean Doughty. And then we have all of these amazing resort activities you can participate in. So you can go hiking and connect with nature. You can go canoeing. You can just sit by the fire pit, make s' mores and think about, you know, all the ways that you can relax. We have so many different special events and activities. So look at our calendar.

B (40:40)

Plan your stay if you want to

C (40:42)

learn to play mahjong, if you want to do a topiary class, find some peaceful meditation through something like that. That's very rewarding. We have pickleball lessons. There is so much to do at the resort and we cannot wait to host you and take care of you for everything that you do for your entire family.

B (40:58)

Thank you so much.

A (41:00)

When is the last time you got away just to be able to do something for yourself?

B (41:05)

Never. Never.

A (41:06)

Okay.

C (41:07)

Okay. So that's not it. By the way. I have it. Barnsley Resort is stunning. You're gonna have the most amazing time.

B (41:13)

Thank you.

C (41:14)

But we have another little something extra. Okay, so my dear friend Raquel from Sweet Peach Wax and Sugaring Studio is here and she is like, she's a busy woman. She understands what it takes and wanted to do a little something special for you.

B (41:31)

You.

C (41:31)

So.

A (41:32)

So we're going to do our first live waxing.

C (41:33)

No, we are not. It won't be our first. We've done it before, remember?

A (41:37)

Well, not with Birth of Adventure.

C (41:38)

Not with Adventure.

B (41:39)

You're right.

C (41:40)

So because you carry the mental load and the emotional load for your family, Raquel from Sweet Peach Wax and Sugaring Studio, she's going to give you a $2,500 Instacart gift card so you can have groceries taken care of. And also she's going to give you a $2,500 gift card to cover professional house cleaning so you don't have to worry about cleaning your house for a year.

B (42:02)

How cool is.

C (42:03)

Yes. And then on top of that, she was talking about cuz she wanted to help out Birch Big adventure so much. Her boyfriend heard and Wayne Sachs was like of Goldberg's Deli. He's like, here's 500 more dollars.

A (42:16)

You know what is, is just like really hitting me hard here is that we do all these really big things and these big experiences here. But the relief that I can see on your face by just these things that will be taken off of your mental plate are so huge. I can see it in your face.

C (42:32)

So for a year, groceries delivered to your house, house clean taken care of. And don't you do what we always do, put off, like, you know, booking that weekend getaway.

B (42:40)

Yeah.

C (42:41)

We're gonna get you to Barnsley Resort sooner rather than later. So you can just. Because I, you know, when you're, when you're rested and when, when you're feeling good, it's just, it's. It's gonna make you.

B (42:51)

Yeah.

C (42:51)

It's gonna make you better at everything.

B (42:52)

Thank you so much.

C (42:54)

Not that you need it because you're already amazing as you are, but you deserve this.

B (42:58)

Thank you so much. Definitely appreciate it.

A (43:00)

Thank you for being here. You guys. You are now part of our family in a big way. Birch Big Adventure 2026 this is the Birch Show.

B (43:10)

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