On the Road With Chris Cuomo

April 27, 2009— -- "GMA" producer Cleo Andreadis was Chris Cuomo's wingman on Monday's journey to Mount Pleasant, Mich., site of the first stop in our "GMA" At Your House series. We surprised local basketball coach Keisha Brown and her family. As with everything involving Chris Cuomo, the trip to Michigan was not without its adventures.

Click to see where "GMA" goes next.

Check out Cleo's blog below.

Cuomo and Cleo road trip to first undisclosed location begins! Just got word weather is expected to be bad when we land at our connecting spot, so I'm mapping out plan B and C!

12:45 pm

Ahhhh Roadwarriors Tip #1: Northwest Airlines is under the Delta Air umbrella -- definitely didn't know that when checking in! Thought we didn't have a travel itinerary!

2:00 pm

Met up with Cuomo. Had a hard time spotting him through the sea of fans (mostly ladies) grabbing him for a picture. He's so funny, he stops for everyone!

2:30 pm

Censor malfunctions in the back of the plane and now we're #15 in line on tarmac. Cuomo's reaction to it all:

Cuomo: "You know I got yelled at for using my cell phone? We are sitting, waiting to take off and am surrounded by people coughing. Swine flu is out there you know. It's all over the news and people are just coughing! And then some guy starts telling me to turn my phone off. I told him to turn his on and join me!"

Roadwarriors Tip #2: Cuomo is admittedly a hypochondriac and is obsessed with this swine flu! (He has called into our first location to have some Tamiflu for us just in case we get sick!). He continues to go crazy as people around him are talking and coughing and coughing!

5:15 pm

Land in first destination, but Cuomo won't be in another airplane so he insists on driving. He feels he is faster than an airplane and tries to prove it to me.

Cuomo: "Oh yeah, let's get in another airplane ... More time for me around people coughing."

Didn't I say he was obsessed with swine flu?! One thing to note about our fearless news anchor, he is not a fan of the germs!

Cuomo: "I'm obsessed now with this swine flu. Up side, it gets less strong as it picks up its numbers. The CDC is using the phrase 'potential pandemic.' What don't you understand? I take it seriously."

On that note, we hit the road, only two hours behind schedule. So naturally, Cuomo tried to make up for lost time.

Cuomo: "Our coming into town to talk about the local issues wasn't impressive enough for the local sheriff. We got pulled over for speeding, going over the local 55 mph limit."

Cleo: "I don't think you were going that fast."

So we sit and we wait for what feels like 20 minutes.

Cuomo: "What is he writing back there?.... an essay!!?"

Cleo: "I bet he is Googling you. You laid it on thick enough about 'GMA' being in Mt. Pleasant tomorrow. I bet you don't get a ticket."

Sheriff comes back.

Sheriff: "Soooooo, you'll be on tomorrow right?"

Cuomo: "Yup."

Sheriff: "My mom watches 'Good Morning America'" She loves you guys. Just watch your speed."

Cuomo: "Thank you officer."

No ticket was given and we wholeheartedly express our thanks to that generous sheriff and his mom for watching "GMA" every day!

Roadwarriors Tip #3: Always make nice with law enforcement.

9 pm

When we got to the house to surprise the Browns, it was the knock (and scream) heard around Michigan!

Cuomo: "You asked 'GMA' to come to your house and you got it!"

Cuomo crept up to the Browns' door and made the big knock and was greeted by screams and hugs by a very surprised Keisha Brown of Mt. Pleasant, Mich. One big hug for Cuomo and then Keisha RAN into the living room!

Keisha: "Ahhh you got me!! 'GMA' is here! Chris Cuomo! I'm going to pass out!"

Cuomo: "Can I come in?!"

Keisha: "Sure! Oh my God! I'm going to pass out! I didn't know who it was at the door -- it looked like you! Chris Cuomo is here! I only get this excited during basketball games."

Keisha, her husband, Damon, and their 3-year-old daughter, Angel, gathered around the family room to have a chat with Cuomo.

But why were we visiting the Browns? After knowing Keisha for just a few minutes, it's obvious.

Keisha Brown is a pillar of strength and attributes it all to her loving family and tight knit community. What makes her situation unique is that her husband, Damon, coaches the girls' varsity basketball team at Sacred Heart School whiles she coaches the boys' varsity. They are a Baptist African-American family, coaching at a predominately white Catholic school.

Their daughter, Angel, "is loved and known by everyone in the community," Keisha said.

A couple of years ago, Keisha was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had a mastectomy and went through four rounds of chemo, just to learn last fall the cancer had returned and spread.

"We had a lot of decisions to make and we knew I would need surgery again; but only after basketball season," she said.

She had a mastectomy on her other breast this spring. She says the unexpected diagnosis has put a financial strain on her family, but they're getting through it all with the help of her family, her neighbors, and her basketball team.

"The one thing that touches me most about Sacred Heart is how they take care of each other ... when you need help, there are families right there asking what they can do," Keisha said.

Even though the cancer has made it impossible to have more children, Keisha says she's OK because the kids on her basketball team are her surrogate kids.

"Our relationship isn't just on the basketball court; we are family," Keisha said. "I truly believe in the African proverb 'it takes a village to raise a child.' Folks say my Angel is truly her name, and I feel Mount Pleasant is just that -- pleasant."

During the interview, little Angel took me upstairs to her princess room for a special surprise for Chris!

Angel's favorite color is pink, but she showed me her "Parade Dress" first.

And the fashion show continued. The next one is particularly fitting. It's a beautiful white dress with stars and the word "Angel" on the top.

"No, yellow is my favorite," Angel said. "The white is my favorite, too, but this one. I want to show to Chris! Wait, no, the black one!"

Finally, we decided she should show off the beautiful black party dress to Chris!

"Wait, wait, silly! Can't show Chris without my tap shoes on!"

Ahh, yes, how could I forget the tap shoes? She is beyond precious.

Angel made her big reveal to Chris and he loved it! We all did!

"Oh I love you! I love Robin and Diane and Sam's laugh!" Keisha said when she hugged Chris goodbye. "I love it! Thank you so much for coming. I can't wait till tomorrow! "

10:30pm

Roadwarriors Tip #4: Never make the "gas" face toward a hungry man. I learned this one the hard way! After all day traveling and finally getting to the shoot, we decided we should finally sit down and eat.

*Gas face: a cross between a judgment glare and a "you must be kidding me" expression.

Cuomo: "Nothing's going to be open at 10:30 at night. We might be out of luck. Oh wait, a Taco Bell!"

Cleo: [gas face]

Cuomo: "Fine, no Taco Bell. We'll evaluate other options."

Four blocks go by and nothing. I pleaded with Cuomo to just pull a U-turn and eat at Taco Bell, but I was greeted with a series of nos.

Roadwarriors Tip #5: Never try to negotiate with a stubborn man. Especially an Italian stubborn man! Ha!

But don't worry, we ended up at a Bennigan's and were very happy!