Boy, 6, writes book to save friend’s life
March 2, 2013 Leave a comment
Boy, 6, writes book to save friend’s life
Saturday, Mar 02, 2013
The New Paper
They are the best of friends in primary school.
So when his chum needed help, Dylan Siegel jumped in.
At six, Dylan has produced a 16-page book called Chocolate Bar, a handwritten and illustrated story.
More than two months after putting his book on the market, he has managed to raise more than US$30,000 (S$37,150) from events, sales and donations made through Facebook and online.
The book uses the term chocolate bar as a synonym for awesome.
He came up with his book because his good friend Jonah Pournazarian, seven, suffers from a rare liver disorder with no known cure, the Daily Mail reported. Jonah often eats through a tube, sometimes corn starch or chicken soup with vegetables.
He is vulnerable too. He caught the flu last month and ended up in hospital for several days, his father, Mr Rabin Pournazarian, told ABC News.
National attention
Because of Dylan’s book, his son’s rare disease is receiving national attention for the first time, said MrPournazarian, who added that Jonah’s liver condition affects one in a million children.
Dylan’s father, Mr Davis Siegel, said his son is now working towards a million-dollar goal.
Mr Siegel said: “We never dreamed that this was going to happen. It’s just struck a nerve and now we don’t want to stop until we’ve hit our mission.”
When Dylan’s parents suggested that he try a more conventional fund-raising method, he “shot it down”, his mum Debra told the Huffington Post.
Then Dylan produced the first handwritten and illustrated pages within an hour.
“Dylan actually gave us something to work with,” the news website quoted her as saying.
Mrs Siegel, a professional organiser, and Mr Siegel, a marketing executive for Disney, soon realised the book “would strike a chord”, she said.
Finally, the big day arrived last November and the launch sold US$6,000 worth of copies and chocolate bars.
A book-signing by Dylan and Jonah at a popular LosAngeles mall generated another US$5,000 in book sales, she said. Other book sales, including online proceeds, raised an additional US$19,000.
The money raised will be sent to the University of Florida School of Medicine, where a team of researchers is working towards a cure.
Jonah’s parents set up a fund for their son six years ago which has raised US$400,000, mostly through donations from friends and family. But the couple said the Chocolate Bar is set to surpass that number.
Dylan summed up his effort on the Chocolate Bar website: “Helping my friend is the biggest chocolate bar.”
About bambooinnovator
