HOLDING AN EVENT STRESSING THE
IMPORTANCE OF VETERANS AND THEIR
FAMILIES.
BUT WE DID OUR PART IN THE
BUILDING HOMES FOR HEROES GALA
IN NEW YORK CITY.
ONE OF THOSE HEROES, STAFF
SERGEANT AARON HALE, WAS A
MEMBER OF THE EOD TEAM, THIS
EXCLUSIVE EXPLOSIVE ORDNANCE
DISPOSAL.
THEY DEFUSE BOMBS, NEUTRALIZE
THEM.
HE DID MULTIPLE TOURS IN IRAQ
AND AFGHANISTAN AND WHEN HE WAS
IN HIS FINAL ONE IN AFGHANISTAN,
ONE OF THE IEDs BLEW UP IN HIS
FACE, LEAVING HIM TOTALLY BLIND
AND BLOWING OUT HIS EARDRUMS.
WE WILL TALK ABOUT A SILVER
LINING.
AFTER WE AT BUILDING HOMES FOR
HEROES.ORG GIFTED HIM A CUSTOM
HOME AND YOU GUYS HELP BECAUSE
YOU GIVE THE MONEY, HE ADJUSTED
TO NEW LIFE BY STARTING A
CONFECTIONARY BUSINESS, EOD,
WHICH STANDS FOR EXTRAORDINARY
DELIGHTS.
HERE TO TELL US HOW HE PULLED
OFF THIS INCREDIBLE FEAT IS
STAFF SERGEANT AARON HALE.
WE'RE SO HAPPY YOU'RE HERE.
TELL US, YOU WERE BLINDED IN
2011.
THEN IN 2015, YOU DEVELOPED A
HORRIFIC CASE OF MENINGITIS AND
LOST HEARING IN BOTH EARS.
YOU WERE ENVELOPED IN DARKNESS,
BOTH SOUND AND LIGHT.
HOW DO YOU GO FROM THAT TO
STARTING A FUDGE BUSINESS?
>> YOU KNOW, IT'S AN INTERESTING
TWISTING, TURNING STORY, BUT
IT'S ABSOLUTELY AMAZING.
FIVE YEARS AGO WHEN WE FIRST
MET, AND I RECEIVED A HOME FROM
BUILDING HOMES FOR HEROES, I
WOULD HAVE NO IDEA THAT I WOULD
BE BACK HERE WITH A BUSINESS OF
MY OWN ON FOX BUSINESS.
I WOULDN'T HAVE BELIEVED YOU IF
YOU TOLD ME.
IN 2011, I WAS INJURED BY AN
IED, LEAVING ME COMPLETELY
BLIND.
I HAD SOME CRACKS IN MY SKULL AS
WELL, WHICH LATER WOULD LEAD TO
THE BACTERIAL MENINGITIS WHICH
WOULD STEAL WHAT WAS LEFT OF MY
HEARING AFTER THE BLAST.
IT WAS SIX MONTHS OF COMPLETE
SILENCE, COMPLETE DARKNESS, AS I
WOULD RECEIVE SURGERIES AND
IMPLANTS IN BOTH MY EARS TO GET
COCHLEAR IMPLANTS AND IT TAKES
TIME FOR THEM TO HEAL, FOR THEM
TO GET TUNED IN AND FOR ME TO
HEAR AND LEARN HOW TO HEAR IN A
COMPLETELY NEW WAY.
LIZ: YOU STARTED BAKING AND
MAKING FUDGE AND ALL KINDS OF
SWEETS, AND SUDDENLY ALL THE
NEIGHBORS ARE STOPPING BY AND
ASKING FOR SOME, AND THIS IS IN
THE KITCHEN THAT BUILDING HOMES
FOR HEROES MADE FOR YOU, SO YOU
COULD FEEL YOUR WAY AROUND
PROPERLY.
HOW DO YOU SCALE UP TO WHERE YOU
ARE NOW, A COMMERCIAL KITCHEN,
AND YOU HAVE A WEBSITE THAT IS
HUGELY SUCCESSFUL WITH CORPORATE
CLIENTS.
>> OH, ABSOLUTELY.
WE WERE COOKING RIGHT OUT OF THE
BUILDING HOMES FOR HEROES,
SPECIALLY ADAPTED HOUSE, MY
KITCHEN.
BUT IT WAS A COUPLE YEARS AGO
DURING THANKSGIVING, AND I WAS
ABOUT TO GIVE MY FAMILY A GREAT
DINNER, GREAT FEAST, AND I
STARTED MAKING DESSERTS, DAYS,
WEEKS IN ADVANCE.
SO MUCH SO THAT MY WIFE,
MICHAELA, HAD TO START SNEAKING
IT OUT OF THE FRONT DOOR.
I SAY SNEAKING AS THOUGH YOU
HAVE TO BE VERY STEALTHY WITH A
BLIND, DEAF GUY.
BUT THE TRUTH IS, IT WAS MORE
THAN MY FAMILY COULD HANDLE IN
ONE SETTING SO SHE WAS GIVING IT
TO FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS AND
THEY WERE COMING BACK SAYING CAN
WE GET SOME MORE, BUY MORE OF
THIS FROM YOU.
AND OF COURSE, BEING THE
CAPITALIST I AM, I SAID OF
COURSE YOU CAN.
BEFORE WE KNEW IT, WE WERE
COOKING 14 HOUR DAYS OUT OF OUR
HOME KITCHEN AND WE KNEW WE HAD
TO EXPAND.
WE GOT INTO A CORPORATE
CONVENTIONAL KITCHEN AND THE
REST IS HISTORY.
WE HAVE BEEN GROWING AND GROWING
SINCE.
WE ARE FAVORITES AMONG THE
CORPORATE --
LIZ: OH, I CAN IMAGINE.
BOEING, YOU JUST GOT A NEW
CONTRACT LAST NIGHT WITH ROYAL
BANK OF CANADA.
WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU, AND I
WANT OUR VIEWERS, IF I HAD MY
WAY, I WANT OUR VIEWERS TO BLOW
OUT YOUR WEBSITE RIGHT NOW.
EODFUDGE, EXTRAORDINARY DELIGHT
FUDGE, THAT'S WHAT EOD STANDS
FOR.COM.
WE PUT IT UP ON THE SCREEN IF WE
POSSIBLY CAN.
I'M TELLING YOU, THE SALTED
CARAMEL CHOCOLATE COVERED, THE
SICKEST THINGS I HAVE EVER
EATEN.
I'M ORDERING THEM FOR EVERYBODY
FOR THE HOLIDAYS.
I WISH YOU THE BEST OF LUCK.
YOU ARE OUR HERO, AARON.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH, LIZ.
LIZ: EODFUDGE.COM.
THERE'S A WAIT LIST OF 1,000
SEVERELY WOUNDED HEROES WAITING
FOR ONE OF OUR HOMES.
TO HELP THEM MOVE ON WITH THEIR
LIVES, PLEASE, YOU KNOW YOU CAN
DONATE BUILDING HOMES FOR
HEROES.ORG.