Seven year-old Dylan Siegel and eight year-old Jonah Pournazarian have been inseparable ever since they met in preschool. Unfortunately, Jonah was diagnosed with glycogen storage disease, a disease that can make his blood sugar drop to potentially fatal levels. But Dylan wasn’t going to let his friend suffer without trying to do something about it.
When he was six, Dylan (left) wrote a book to raise money to find a cure for his friend.
Every penny from sales of Chocolate Bar goes straight to the GSD research department at the University of Florida, College of Medicine.
He put a dedication to Jonah in the beginning of the book. To date, sales of the book have raised over $750,000.
“Chocolate Bar ” is a term Dylan used to use to mean awesome. According to Dylan, reading the book will teach you all about what the “Chocolate Bar” actually is.
“It’s an amazing thing the fact that he didn’t just have the idea,” said his mother, Debra Siegel. “And he was so persistent trying to get us to publish the book and sell the book. And he was really, really motivated.”
Before the book, research for GSD had fallen flat. But now sufferers have been given a new hope.
“It is now reality. It’s not just a dream that these children can be cured,” said Dr. David Weinstein, who runs the research lab at the University of Florida.
It looks like the power of the boys’ friendship and Dylan’s determination may be enough to save a lot of lives.
If you would like to buy the book and learn more about Dylan and Jonah, you can visit their website here. You can also follow them on Facebook where they post pictures and updates of their Chocolate Bar journey.