Kid Raises $1 Million from Self-Authored ‘Chocolate Bar’ Book to Help Friend with Liver Disease

Back in 2012, Dylan Siegel wrote and illustrated a book called “Chocolate Bar.”

Dylan, who is now 8, began selling the books in 2012 for $20 a piece. He planned on using the profits of the book to help his best friend, Jonah Pournazarian, who suffers from a rare liver disease.

A pretty ambitious goal for someone who has yet to hit double digits, but nonetheless, Dylan did not let that deter him from finding a cure for his friend.

The liver disorder is called glycogen storage disease type 1B. The disease prevents people from maintaining normal blood sugar levels between meals. This cause them to become hungrier more frequently, tired and irritable. If blood sugar reaches a level considered to be critically low, the disease can also cause seizures.

Jonah is one of 500 children in the world suffering from this.

Since it’s release, “Chocolate Bar” has made a profit of more than $1 million. It’s not only raised awareness for the disease, but also brought tons of donated chocolate bars to schools and various charities.

The book heavily uses the phrase “Chocolate Bar” as a replacement for “awesome,” according to Dylan.

No, little Dylan isn’t rolling around in a bed of dollar bills. All the proceeds from “Chocolate Bar” goes straight to the University of Florida. There, Dr. David Weinstein and his research team study and treat patients with the liver disease.

Weinstein stated that if a cure is ever to be found, he wants Dylan right there to witness it.

So far, the money has brought in a new geneticist, financed studies resulting in new gene-therapy treatments and kept the facility funded and on track over the last few years.

h/t ABC News