What would make a 6-year-old not only think that he could raise a lot of money to help a friend battling a life-threatening disease, but then actually go ahead and do what most adults could not? Well, you’d have to ask that 6-year-old, Dylan Siegel.
Last year, he wrote a book named “Chocolate Bar” to raise money for his friend, Jonah Pournazarian, who has a rare form of glycogen storage disease. Jonah has to be constantly monitored, because the disease can lead to extremely low blood sugar levels, causing life threatening seizures. Jonah’s mom, Lora, explains, “That’s a huge anxiety every night. We got to sleep going, ‘We hope we don’t miss an alarm clock because he could die.”
Dr. David Weinstein, who studies and treats the disease at the University of Florida, was surprised when Dylan raised the first $400,000, saying, “Boy have I been shocked. He’s raised more money for this disease than all the medical foundations and all the grants combined. Ever.”
To Dylan, “chocolate bar” is the equivalent to something that is “awesome.” He writes that a trip to Disneyland is “so chocolate bar.” At the end of the book, he closes by saying: “I like to help my friends. That is the biggest chocolate bar.” Book sales have now reached $750,000 and still counting. And that is truly “awesome”!
Good for You, Dylan Siegel, for reminding us just how valuable true friends really are, especially ones who are willing to go out of their way to make a positive difference in our lives!
ABC News, 2/27/14
Leave a Comment
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked with *