How did "Shark Tank" help to fulfill the dream of this deceased firefighter?

The children of a firefighter in New York who died of cancer after the attacks of September 11 have realized his dream through the episode "Shark Tank" on Sunday night.

Kaley, Christian and Kiera Young, siblings of Long Island, have embarked on "Shark Tank" in the hope of making invest the "Sharks" of the show in Cup Board Pro, a chopping board for cooking invented by their father, Keith – died last March at the age of 53. cancer related to its role in cleaning Ground Zero.

"My brother and my sister and I went [to the show’s LA studio] three years after my father's death, "said Kaley Young, 24, who is now the breadwinner and the guardian of her 15-year-old sister Kiera. (They lost their mother to cancer in 2012.) Kaley, a FIT student, is also the owner of her deceased mother's Pilates studio in Wantagh today.

"It was also Father's Day weekend," she says. "So, the fact that we were there together – we felt very grateful to follow her dream at such a time. My dad always said, "You have to keep coming. Life becomes difficult, but you do not stop. Just to keep making each day the best day. "

And, as viewers saw him on Sunday night, the five Sharks (including guest star Shark Matt Higgins) decided to invest $ 100,000 in the Pro Cup Board, promising to contribute to $ 20,000 each in exchange for a 20% interest. They also pledged to donate proceeds from Cup Board Pro sales to assist firefighters struggling with September 11-related illnesses.

"My heart broke out at that moment," says Kaley. "I could not think of a better thing for this product. This will help a large number of current firefighters with cancer associated with September 11th. I'm really grateful for this opportunity to have this product representing even more, and to have a big goal behind it too. "

It was also an emotion for Higgins, 43, who appears in two episodes of "Shark Tank" this season. General Manager of RSE Ventures and advisor to the Miami Dolphins owner, Stephen Higgins, Higgins was the press secretary to Mayor Rudolph Giuliani (he was only 26 years old) when the 9/11 attacks took place.

"I was involved in the reconstruction and reconstruction efforts, pretty much in the moments that followed the first plane that hit the tower … for almost two years," said Higgins, who now lives in New Jersey. "So for me [the Young family] really knocked at home. I have met amazing people … I have never had a chance to meet Kaley's father, but I know so many other people like him. In addition to being really moved by this wonderful family, it really affected me. I was just sitting there thinking of all the firefighters and recovery officers I know who were working so hard during this time. "

In the months following the shooting of the episode in June, Higgins moved closer to the Young family, helping them to position the Cup Board Pro for its marketing campaign.

"I became close to Kaley in particular," he says. "She is a wonderful young woman who has clearly played a leading role in many aspects of her life: she helped raise her brother and sister, at the head of the Pilates studio, thus giving life to the dream of his father.

"It's really amazing."