We Surprise Our New Bert's Big Adventure Kid Brooke!

Summary

The Bert Show – Episode Summary

Episode: "We Surprise Our New Bert's Big Adventure Kid Brooke!"

Date: February 19, 2026
Podcast: The Bert Show
Cast Present: Bert, Kristin, Abby, Cassie, Tommy, and guests (Brooke’s family, Dr. Himalay Sabness, Carly from Gas South)

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Overview

This heartfelt episode centers on introducing Brooke, a new participant in Bert’s Big Adventure—a charitable initiative that brings children with chronic or terminal illnesses and their families to Disney World. The show brings listeners behind the scenes into the lives of Brooke and her family, sharing their medical journeys, emotional struggles, and culminating in a joyful surprise: front-row tickets to see Bruno Mars.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Morning Banter and Fundraising Updates (01:59–04:39)

• Waking Up Laughs: The show opens with lighthearted banter about early mornings and Instagram photos.
• Fundraising Push: Bert and the team urge listeners to donate $5–$10 to support Bert’s Big Adventure.
• Matching Gifts: Zaxby’s matches every donation, doubling the impact.
  • Bert: “If you donate five bucks, Zaxby's just turned that into 10. You donate 20, they just turned it into 40.” (03:11)
• Why the Funds Matter: Every dollar helps create magical experiences at Disney, like buying souvenirs (Mickey ears, backpacks, pins).

2. Meeting Brooke and Family (04:40–05:24)

• Brooke’s Diet: Brooke is endearingly picky, only eating “French fries and chips.” (05:01)
• Hosts’ Humor: Kristin jokes, “She’s a woman who knows what she likes.” (05:07)
• Prepared: The team brought Brooke’s favorite foods, ensuring her comfort and happiness.

3. Family’s Medical Journeys and Trauma (05:24–08:33)

• Overlapping Crises: Brooke went through leukemia followed by her mom's (Ashley) open heart surgery. After Brooke’s remission, Ashley was hospitalized with COVID and discovered heart complications.
  • Ashley: “Right when she got remission, I got sick with COVID... and found out I had heart issues and had to do open heart surgery.” (06:25)
• Trauma and Memory: Ashley doesn’t remember much from the traumatic period, which the hosts highlight as a normal reaction. She expresses mom guilt but acknowledges her limits.
  • Ashley: “After I had my open heart surgery, it kind of just went away.” (06:16)
• Brooke’s Memory: Brooke also remembers key things but not all details.
• Dad's Perspective: Dad recalls timelines more clearly—Brooke’s treatment ended July 2021, then Ashley's heart issues surfaced.
  • Dad: “They saved two people’s lives in our family.” (08:30)
• CHOA Shout-Out: The family expresses deep gratitude for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA).

4. Expert Insights: Dr. Himalay Sabness (08:33–11:21)

• Why Trauma Impacts Memory: Dr. Sabness normalizes Ashley’s experience, explaining that cancer’s trauma affects the entire family’s memories and cognition, sometimes resulting in “neurocognitive changes.”
  • Dr. Sabness: “It’s basically a lifelong impact that pervades every member of the family... it could potentially cause problems for the rest of their life.” (09:39)
• CHA’s Holistic Approach: Emphasis on specialists and staff caring for not just the patient but the whole family’s wellbeing, including siblings and parents.
  • Dr. Sabness: “It’s not a one man’s job... it’s really a team effort.” (11:04)

5. Addressing Mom Guilt & Normalizing the Journey (11:21–12:21)

• Supporting Parents: Bert reassures parents that memory loss amid trauma is common and normal, encouraging them not to feel isolated.
  • Ashley: “I do have mom guilt for that, but I can’t be hard on myself. There’s nothing that I can do about it.” (11:38)
• Focus on Positivity: Ashley is grateful for Brooke's current health and happiness.
  • Ashley: “I'm just happy she is healthy and happy now, and that's all that matters to me at this moment.” (12:03)

6. Brooke’s Personality Shines & The Big Surprise (12:21–15:51)

• Lighthearted Moments: The group turns playful, asking Brooke about her music preferences (“Do you like Bruno Mars?”). Brooke is charmingly ambivalent—“I know the song.”
• The Surprise: Carly from Gas South joins the show and surprises Brooke and her family with front-row tickets to see Bruno Mars in concert on April 26, including luxury transportation.
  • Carly: “We’re gonna send you and your family to go see this guy [Bruno Mars]... What row do you think you need to be in?”
  • Brooke: “The first row.” (14:18)
  • Carly: “Absolutely. Yeah, you do.”
• Keeping the Excitement: The hosts joke about dance moves and set expectations for Brooke to teach them after the concert.
  • Carly: “Maybe after April 26th and you go see that concert, you can come back and teach me some of his dance moves.” (14:57)
• Family Gratitude: Dad and Brooke express their thanks for the experience and the show’s generosity.
  • Dad: “Thank you guys so much.” (15:17)
  • Brooke: “Thank you so much.” (15:50)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Fundraising Matching:
  “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.”
  — Co-host (03:11)

• On Trauma and Memory:
  “After I had my open heart surgery, it kind of just went away.”
  — Ashley (Brooke’s mom) (06:16)

• CHOA’s Importance:
  “They're like another family to us... Choa has helped my daughter. They’re like another family to us.”
  — Ashley (07:19)

• Doctor’s Perspective:
  “It’s basically a lifelong impact that pervades every member of the family... it could potentially cause problems for the rest of their life.”
  — Dr. Himalay Sabness (09:39)

• Brooke’s Wit:
  “Blah, blah, blah.” (After Carly’s Gas South intro)
  — Brooke (13:57)

• On the Big Surprise:
  “What row do you think you need to be in to see this guy?” “The first row.”
  — Carly and Brooke (14:18)

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Important Timestamps

• 01:59–04:39: Fundraising and Bert’s Big Adventure intro
• 04:40–05:24: Meeting Brooke and lively family chat
• 05:24–08:33: Family medical history and the impact of trauma
• 08:33–11:21: Dr. Sabness explains effects on families and memory
• 11:21–12:21: Mom guilt, normalization, and a focus on joy
• 12:21–15:51: Bruno Mars conversation and unveiling the big surprise

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Tone & Spirit

The episode is upbeat and sensitive—balancing humor, honesty, and compassion as the hosts and guests discuss real struggles and joyful surprises. There’s a tangible sense of community and support throughout, making listeners feel included in both the tough and celebratory moments.

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Summary for Non-Listeners

This episode offers an intimate window into the emotional resilience and challenges faced by families dealing with childhood illness. With candor and empathy, The Bert Show uplifts the audience as they celebrate Brooke, normalize the struggles of trauma-impacted memory, and surprise a deserving family with a once-in-a-lifetime concert experience. Through laughter, advocacy, and generosity, the podcast exemplifies how to “make your mornings bearable”—while making a real difference in people’s lives.

Transcript

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[Will from IQ Bar]

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[Burt Host]

Listen, it's the Birch show 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?

[Co-host (possibly Burt)]

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

[Burt Host]

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

[Co-host (possibly Burt)]

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

[Burt Host]

All right, you guys, we need a little help. 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, Bert, they're having way more fun back there than we are.

[Co-host (possibly Burt)]

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

[Burt Host]

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

[Co-host (possibly Burt)]

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.

[Burt Host]

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.

[Co-host (possibly Burt)]

They are matching every donation. So if you text Bert B 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@bir big adventure.org.

[Burt Host]

so why 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 ears? Can I have some Mickey ears? Well, sure you can, but at Disney World, those will set you back $45. $45. Okay.

[Co-host (possibly Burt)]

For 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.

[Burt Host]

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.

[Co-host (possibly Burt)]

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

[Burt Host]

I'm gonna start the budget items we can talk about, like keychains and toys. We can. We can get Those for under 20

[Co-host (possibly Burt)]

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

[Burt Host]

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.

[Co-host (possibly Burt)]

Text Bert B E R T to five zero one. Bye.

[Dr. Himalay Sabness]

Bye.

[Burt Host]

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.

[Will from IQ Bar]

And.

[Burt Host]

And what are those food items?

[Brooke (family member)]

French fries and chips.

[Co-host (possibly Burt)]

And.

[Burt Host]

And that's it.

[Will from IQ Bar]

That's all.

[Co-host (possibly Burt)]

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

[Burt Host]

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.

[Co-host (possibly Burt)]

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

[Burt Host]

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?

[Brooke (family member)]

Yes.

[Burt Host]

Tell us all about that.

[Brooke (family member)]

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

[Burt Host]

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 surgery?

[Brooke (family member)]

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 tests and found out I had heart issues, and they had to do open heart surgery.

[Burt Host]

Okay. All right.

[Co-host (possibly Burt)]

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.

[Brooke (family member)]

Yes.

[Co-host (possibly Burt)]

And the whole family goes through that together, which is why we bring the entire family on the Burt'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.

[Brooke (family member)]

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

[Dad (family member)]

Yeah. 37 days.

[Burt Host]

That's a long while, so. And you don't really remember most of the journey for Brooke?

[Brooke (family member)]

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. Choa helped me, and Choa has helped my daughter. They're like another family to us.

[Burt Host]

Brooke, what you got here?

[Co-host (possibly Burt)]

I remember, like, drifting off the street.

[Brooke (family member)]

Huh.

[Burt Host]

And that's about it.

[Brooke (family member)]

Yeah. That's all.

[Burt Host]

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.

[Dad (family member)]

Yeah, it's been tough because it was one thing after the other, but, yeah, we got through with Brooke around July 3rd of 2021. And that next year, we went straight into Ashley's heart problems. Which one? One of her problems was a birth defect. So both Brooke and Ashley both had their surgeries at CHOA because it was considered a birth defect.

[Burt Host]

Okay.

[Dad (family member)]

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

[Burt Host]

Incredible.

[Co-host (possibly Burt)]

We love Choa.

[Brooke (family member)]

We love Choa.

[Burt Host]

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?

[Dr. Himalay Sabness]

Yeah, it's Himalay.

[Burt Host]

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.

[Dr. Himalay Sabness]

Yes, it's a mouthful.

[Burt Host]

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

[Dr. Himalay Sabness]

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

[Burt Host]

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

[Dr. Himalay Sabness]

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.

[Burt Host]

Yeah, it's.

[Dr. Himalay Sabness]

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.

[Burt Host]

Right.

[Dr. Himalay Sabness]

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 recovery.

[Co-host (possibly Burt)]

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.

[Dr. Himalay Sabness]

Yeah, I always say that this is not a one man's job or a 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.

[Burt Host]

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

[Brooke (family member)]

No, I'm just agreeing with her. They're 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.

[Burt Host]

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.

[Brooke (family member)]

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.

[Burt Host]

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's a family. And it makes a lot of sense when you go through something like that. I'd be the exact same way, man. I would try to compartmentalize, but I would try to do it on purpose

[Brooke (family member)]

where yours is not like, I'm just happy. She is healthy and happy now, and that's all that matters to me at this moment.

[Co-host (possibly Burt)]

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 Bert's big adventure.

[Brooke (family member)]

Excited, that's for sure.

[Burt Host]

All right, let's talk about some more fun stuff. Do you. Do you like this recording artist right here? Hey, it's Bruno Mars. Yeah, I don't know. You don't know? You don't know if you like Bruno Mars? Because this is going to go terribly are going to go really, really terribly if you don't like Bruno Mars. I. I know the song. Okay?

[Brooke (family member)]

She knows that the apt. She would start dancing.

[Will from IQ Bar]

Okay.

[Brooke (family member)]

For sure.

[Burt Host]

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.

[Co-host (possibly Burt)]

Hey, Carly from Gas South.

[Carly from Gas South]

Hi, Brooke. Hi, guys.

[Burt Host]

This, by the way, is not Bruno Marsh.

[Carly from Gas South]

No, but she looks like a rock

[Co-host (possibly Burt)]

star in her sunglasses. She does. That's right.

[Carly from Gas South]

Thank you very much. I appreciate that. I know it's really difficult to believe that I have a job at Gas south based on my dance moves last night. I know you probably thought I was a backup dancer, but I work for a great company. We're natural gas Boring. But the really unboring thing about gas 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 so excited for you to go to Disney, but we want to keep that excitement going so Gasth gives 5% of our profits back to the community. Great.

[Brooke (family member)]

Blah, blah, blah.

[Carly from Gas South]

Right? What does that mean? What that means for you is on April 26th, we're gonna send you and your family to go see this guy. Oh, Bruno Mars. That would be so funny. Tell me, what row do you think you need to be in to see this guy?

[Brooke (family member)]

The first row.

[Carly from Gas South]

The first row.

[Burt Host]

Absolutely. Yeah, you do. Row.

[Will from IQ Bar]

Awesome.

[Carly from Gas South]

Because we want to make sure that he sees you and you see him. And not only that, we partnered with 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 and bring you back home so that you can keep the memories going. Does that sound good? All right, so I'm gonna check back in, though. I want all of you to know the dance. Okay? I looked at it last night. I did not have time to learn it.

[Co-host (possibly Burt)]

It's all good, Carmen.

[Burt Host]

Okay? We'll give you a break.

[Carly from Gas South]

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?

[Co-host (possibly Burt)]

He puts on such a great show. Bruno Mars live is unlike anything you've ever seen. And I couldn't imagine watching him from the front row at Bobby Dodd Stadium April 26.

[Brooke (family member)]

That is so neat.

[Dad (family member)]

Thank you guys so much.

[Carly from Gas South]

I hope you have a great time and enjoy.

[Co-host (possibly Burt)]

I think big.

[Rocket Money Advertiser]

Are you excited about this, sis?

[Dr. Himalay Sabness]

Me?

[Co-host (possibly Burt)]

Yeah, yeah, 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, and

[Burt Host]

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

[Co-host (possibly Burt)]

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

[Burt Host]

We will turn around and we will sell that. You guys enjoy Bruno Mars.

[Dad (family member)]

Okay?

[Burt Host]

And welcome to Burst Speak adventure.

[Dad (family member)]

Thank you so much.

[Brooke (family member)]

Thank you so much.

[Burt Host]

It's Q997.

[Dr. Himalay Sabness]

Thank you.

[Burt Host]

Listen, it's the bird show.