On 65 Roses Day, send your loved ones a rose from the mines, and it will be helping people with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) at the same time.
CF is a rare recessive genetic disorder that causes severe damage to the lungs, digestive system and other organs in the body, and for which there is currently no cure.
On 65 Roses Day, Friday, May 28, you can make a real difference to those living with the disease.
A typical 65 Roses Day sees the streets flooded with red roses being sold by volunteers, but COVID-19 put a stop to that last year and saw the introduction of a virtual rose.
Virtual roses mean every West Aussie, no matter how remote, can access a rose to send to their loved ones.
All virtual roses go into the digital rose garden, which then displays the ongoing support of the WA community for people with CF, their families and carers.
29-year-old Bianca Elford lives with CF. She has worked for Tronox on and off for the last 10 years thanks to flexible and supportive work arrangements.
A typical day for Bianca sees her at the gym first thing for physical conditioning to help her with weight gain, followed by 30 minutes of nebulised medication and physio exercise.
Bianca endeavours to have a high calorie breakfast where she takes all her morning meds (approximately 10 pills), then it’s off to work. Through the day whenever Bianca eats, she has to have more pills. Once home she undertakes a second 30-minute session of nebulisers and physio and then before bed, it’s another 20 minutes of nebulised medication.
“65 Roses Day is very important to me as it shows that there are people out there that see and support people with CF and the battles we face every day just to stay healthy,” she said.
“I’ve seen amazing improvements in medication in my lifetime and the research from 65 Roses Day gives me hope that one day there may be a cure, and that children born with CF will have a brighter future and an easier journey than I had growing up.”
Send a virtual rose to your loved one and see it bloom in the Virtual Rose Garden – https://rosegarden.org.au. For further information contact CFWA on 08 6457 7333.
