Helping Single Moms Cope with Terminal Illness

Online, August 23, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Falls Church, VA: Congressional District Programs (CDP) announced today the acceptance of a new sponsored program called, "Friends of Lina."

Established as a charitable program at CDP by a group of concerned Falls Church women, and spearheaded by local art gallery owner Mary O'Donnell, "Friends of Lina" is successfully raising funds to assist local single mothers with the financial and personal burdens associated with the diagnosis of a devastating illness.

"When we learned that our friend, Lina Shoobridge, was battling cancer while simultaneously trying to take care of her two young children, we jumped into action," says O'Donnell. Shoobridge, like so many single mothers battling a Goliath of a disease, had mounting hospital bills with no relief in sight. "Cancer is such a debilitating illness. And undergoing chemotherapy while trying to pay your bills and take care of your children and household could prove impossible without help from outside sources," she added.

Shortly after retiring from the International Monetary Fund in Washington, DC, Shoobridge was diagnosed with bile duct liver cancer. Her insurance benefits aren't nearly enough to cover her expenses during her treatment and recovery process. "Friends of Lina" is tirelessly working to raise funds to help pay Lina's bills." O'Donnell says, "Our mission will soon expand to aid both single mothers and fathers diagnosed with a debilitating illness residing in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Strength in numbers coupled with poetry in motion facilitates our organizational goals, which are to ease the financial burdens of these afflicted people, and to provide comfort to both them and their families."

You can visit the "Friends of Lina" website at www.friendsoflina.org to donate, and to learn more information about upcoming fundraising events. Donations to the "Friends of Lina" program are tax-deductible.