The Legacy of One Young Man Remains Strong This Father’s Day

Within 24 hours, the Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation Can Give a Family Hope and Relief This Father’s Day

Father’s Day takes a moment out of the year and our increasingly hectic lives to recognize all the special Dads and father figures who have provided us with love, guidance, and support, both spiritually and by supplying our basic needs. Single fathers, especially, face unique challenges, but when the unimaginable happens, the diagnosis of a child with a terminal illness, new pressures arise: mounting bills, demands at work, and the probability that one cannot remain at their child’s side when that child needs them the most.

This Father’s Day, through the Dedications 2 Dads initiative, the Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation, is calling on you — mothers, children, siblings, caregivers and fathers yourselves –  to help single Dad families.

Andre Sobel was a normal teenage boy who at age 17, after a complaint about double vision, was diagnosed three days later with an inoperable brain tumor. His mother, Valerie, stayed by his side until Andre’s young life ended when he was 19.

Exploring the world of the single caregiver, Andre’s mom, Founder and President of the Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation, Valerie Sobel, discovered a place of quiet suffering where parents staggered from crisis to crisis. They had few advocates. “Pediatric disease happens to an entire family,” comments Founder Valerie Sobel.  She realized that it had been a blessing that she was able to care for her son and not worry about finances and other resources.

“I wasn’t afraid that I was going to die, I was afraid I was going to die alone,” said teen cancer survivor, Oscar Fernandez, who beat the odds after a diagnosis of Ewing’s Sarcoma. Support from the Foundation helped to keep Oscar’s mother by his side while he faced his illness.

From June 8-28, 2009, donations to Dedications 2 Dads will go to help single parents, like a single dad with two kids who had to reduce his hours at work to take his child to treatments, or a single father who has recently lost his job and is trying to provide for his family while providing the comfort and level of care his ill child deserves.

Here’s how it works:

Visit the Andre Sobel River of Life website and click on the Dedications 2 Dads icon. Click on the “Donate” Link. Select a way to donate, like donating transportation or a bag of groceries. For every donation, you can send your dad a card. A list of the dads who have had donations made in their name will be listed on the Andre Sobel River of Life website.

You can also follow Dedications 2 Dads on Twitter @asriveroflife. Tweet about your dad and share your experiences by using the hashtag #andred2d.