By Rebecca Johnston
Everyone remembers their childhood best friend. Childhood best friends stay in our minds and hearts even when they are no longer near us. Dylan Siegel’s childhood best friend, Jonah Pounazarian (age seven), has a rare liver disease called glycogen storage disease type 1B which was fatal until the 1970s. Dylan (age six) was concerned about his friend’s future, so he decided that it was time to cure his buddy’s disease. Dylan is a determined little boy, and when he sets his mind to something, he gets it done. Dylan set out to raise funds to find a cure for Jonah’s disease.
Chocolate Bar for a Cure Video
To raise funds, Dylan wrote a book called Chocolate Bar, and it is getting the kind of public attention that most adult authors can only wish for. The boys are doing book signings at places such as Barnes and Noble, interviews with Today and The Doctors, and there is no telling when this attention will stop. Just as the media attention is pouring in, so is the money. Chocolate Bar has raised nearly $100,000, but that is not enough. Dylan has set his sites high; He is hoping to raise a million dollars to find a cure for GSF. The money being donated for Chocolate Bar goes directly to the research team at the University of Florida led by Dr. David Weinstein. Researchers at UF are hopeful that they will be able to find a cure in the next few years. Dylan’s parents ship the books out at their own expense to everyone who donates $20 or more to the University of Florida’s glycogen storage disease research efforts, which are funded completely by philanthropic giving. What a great way to help a childhood best friend.
To find out how to get your copy of Chocolate Bar, go to chocolatebar.com, or find “Chocolate Bar, The Book” on Facebook.