BUTLER girl Willow Leary is encouraging people to buy roses to support Cystic Fibrosis WA this month.
The nine-year-old, who was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at birth, will volunteer to sell flowers in the charity’s 65 Roses fundraising campaign on May 25.
Her mother Bianca said Willow had recently spent two weeks in Princess Margaret Hospital and they hoped to raise as much funding as possible to go towards finding a cure for the genetic disease.
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READ NOWShe said the charity provided them with support, including physiotherapy, and they wanted to “give back” by volunteering.
The median age at death of someone living with the disease in Australia is 31.6 years, and the condition, which has no cure, affects almost 400 people in WA.
Cystic Fibrosis WA aims to sell 15,000 roses at $5 a stem this year to provide care to children and adults living with the disease and to fund research for a cure.
“When people support 65 Roses Day they are helping us to continue to provide many specialised services to people living with cystic fibrosis and their families,” chief executive Nigel Barker said.
“Over one million Australian adults carry the recessive gene that causes cystic fibrosis but they just don’t know it.
“If two of those people get together and have a baby then there will be a one in four chance that the baby will be born with a double recessive gene and have cystic fibrosis.”
The disease affects every organ in the body, particularly the lungs where it causes a build-up of thick sticky mucus.
This can become infected leading to permanent damage and in some cases the need for a lung transplant.
For more information, call 6457 7333 or visit www.cfwa.org.au/65roses.
65 Roses selling locations on Friday, May 25:
Murray Street Mall, Perth CBD Westfield Carousel, Cannington Ocean Keys Shopping Centre, Clarkson Karrinyup Shopping Centre Belmont Forum Shopping Centre Altone Park Shopping Centre, Beechboro Waterford Plaza Westfield Innaloo Stockland Bull Creek Shopping Centre Southlands Boulevarde, Willetton Yanchep Central, Yanchep Wanneroo Central shopping centre Westfield Whitford City, Hillarys Phoenix Shopping Centre, Spearwood Winthrop Village shopping centre Northam Boulevard shopping centre
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