'Amazing' gesture from Bulldogs hierarchy for family torn apart by 'gut-wrenching' tragedy
Updated . First published at
The Bulldogs have special motivation to come up with a win against the Dragons in their season-opening game in Las Vegas on Sunday afternoon.
Watching from the grandstand at Allegiant Stadium will be three special guests - Kiara Dean and her two little boys, Harvey, four, and Cohen, three.
Kiara's husband Tyler, a Bulldogs fanatic, died in a tragic workplace accident last month when he fell off a roof. He was 34.
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When the Laundy family, who sponsor the Bulldogs, heard of the incident, they reached out to Kiara - and offered the family an all-expenses-paid trip to Vegas.
And more than that, they threw in a few days in Disneyland so the boys could really make the most of the experience.
Kiara Dean and her two boys, Harvey and Cohen, with Bulldogs captain Stephen Crichton in Las Vegas. Supplied
The players have met the youngsters - and vowed to come away with a win for them.
"We are currently on the trip of a lifetime except 'we', of course, does not include Tyler. It is gut-wrenching to say the least," Kiara said.
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"The gesture from the Laundy family was just amazing.
"It goes without saying that Tyler seeing the Bulldogs play in Las Vegas would have been his dream. Taking our boys to Disneyland was ours. Both dreams we had spoken about so many times.
"When the offer came, I was overwhelmed with emotion. My initial reaction was 'absolutely not'. I can barely get out of bed in the morning. How am I supposed to travel halfway across the world in a few weeks?
"I also felt an enormous amount of guilt. How could I live out Tyler's dream without him? At the time, it felt like betrayal. If he cannot experience it, then neither should we.
"It would never be the same without him anyway, and trust me, it isn't.
Kiara Dean and her boys with Bulldogs winger Marcelo Montoya in Las Vegas. Supplied
"I made him a promise in that hospital room, even though he was not awake to hear me, that I would give our boys the very best life I could. Maybe this was the first test of whether I was strong enough to keep it.
"So here I am, in Las Vegas, trying to suppress my grief for moments just long enough to take this in and see the world through the eyes of my boys.
"I want to express all my thanks to Sophie Laundy and the entire Laundy family for their incredible kindness and generosity.
"We are truly grateful for this opportunity."
