Bunbury residents asked to support Cystic Fibrosis WA by buying flowers for 65 Roses Day

At the age of just three, Bunbury’s Charlie Blackwood has already spent nearly 200 days of his life in hospital. Diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis after birth with a bowel obstruction, his care has required his parents to spend large amounts of time in Perth for treatment. Charlie’s mother, Marlene Blackwood, highlighted the impacts on the family. “It is disruptive, especially living regionally,” she said. “The long stints away from family and our daughter, who is six, have quite a big emotional impact, let alone the physical impact on Charlie’s health, becoming unwell and then requiring hospital admissions because of that.” Despite his young age, Charlie learnt how to swallow tablets at 18 months old and takes 25 doses of medication a day. Ms Blackwood has calculated he also does about 13,000 minutes of chest physiotherapy each year. To help raise funds for Cystic Fibrosis WA, she will be selling flowers later this month as part of 65 Roses Day. This year’s event will be held on May 24, with 20,000 long-stemmed roses to be on sale across the State for $5 each. Bouquets are able to be pre-ordered until Friday, while a virtual rose garden has been set up for those wishing to donate online. A Statewide fundraising target of $130,000 has been set up by the charity, with Ms Blackwood to be selling roses at Bunbury Primary School. Various other locations across the city will also be selling roses, including Bunbury Centrepoint and Bunbury Forum shopping centres, and the Bunbury Bunnings store. Cystic Fibrosis WA chief executive Lisa Bayakly said families living with the condition are facing increased cost of living pressures alongside the challenges of caring for a sick child. “The money we raise funds services and support at home, in the community, and helps families with the increasing costs of equipment, medication, hospital visits and crisis support,” she said.