65 Roses

Hello from San Diego!

My card today was inspired by something that is near and dear to my heart…the fight for a cure for Cystic Fibrosis. May is Cystic Fibrosis Awareness month and it is the month when the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation does their annual Great Strides Walks all across the country throughout the month to raise money to find a cure for those battling this disease.

"65 Roses" is what some children with cystic fibrosis (CF) call their disease because the words are much easier for them to pronounce.

Mary G. Weiss became a volunteer for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in 1965 after learning that her three little boys had CF. Her duty was to call every civic club, social and service organization seeking financial support for CF research. Mary's 4-year-old son, Richard (Ricky), listened closely to his mother as she made each call.

After several calls, Richard came into the room and told his Mom, "I know what you are working for." Mary was dumbstruck because Richard did not know what she was doing, nor did he know that he had cystic fibrosis. With some trepidation, Mary asked, "What am I working for, Ricky?" He answered, "You are working for 65 Roses." Mary was speechless. He could not see the tears running down Mary's cheeks as she stammered, "Yes Ricky, I'm working for 65 Roses."

Since 1965, the term "65 Roses" has been used by children of all ages to describe their disease. But, making it easier to say does not make CF any easier to live with. The ugly fact is that cystic fibrosis is a life-threatening genetic disease that affects 30,000 children and adults in the United States.

My son Riley has Cystic Fibrosis. I made today's card in honor of "65 Roses" using the Memory Box English Rose Bouquet die and the Poppystamps Hope and Thanks stamp set. This is our 1st year participating in the walk and we are walking in the San Diego Great Strides walk on Saturday May 16th. I am excited because we are in the running for the 'new team' that has raised the most money so we might get to lead the walk! It would be so exciting to have Riley out there in front leading our whole city of walkers!

What is more exciting is that we are raising money that is going to make a difference in my son's life. Over 94 cents out of every dollar raised in the Great Strides walks goes directly to research. This is my favorite photo of my son Riley. It was taken on the day his adoption became finalized! We have been so blessed to have him in our lives. Please help us keep him here. 

Please support Riley and all the others with CF like him!

You can read more about Riley and his story and/or donate by clicking on our team "RSVP for a CF Cure" RSVP are my son's initials….we sure had fun with picking out his name and coming up with the team name! Help us reach our fundraising goal by donating to my Great Strides fundraising campaign. Your gift will help add tomorrows to the lives of people with cystic fibrosis by supporting life-saving research and medical progress. Your gift is 100-percent tax deductible. Thank you for your support, I hope you enjoyed the card!