At four years old, Pam was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis. Her older sister, at the time at the age of six, heard her little sister pronounce it Sixty-Five Roses. Pam had been ill for a while, but now with a clear diagnosis, Pam and Heather and their family had to face the inevitable: Pam only had a handful of precious years left with her family.
Heather vows to die along with her sister, and struggles to live life while watching her little sister with her illness, they did much more than spend time together. The bond between sisters has never proved clearer in Heather Summerhays Cariou’s memoir, Sixtyfive Roses.
Heather and her family became passionately involved in learning about Cystic Fibrosis, and then further becoming founders of the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
In an effort to help Pam live as comfortably and as long as possible, Heather struggles through monitoring her ill sister, living with a fear that one morning she may wake up and her sister will be gone. Heather describes in detail her feelings as she was growing up, and the toll of bills, hospitals and continuous infections and treatments.
The story has a magnificent core of honesty and filled with inspiration and hope. With a forward by Celine Dion, who had her own experience with dealing with Cystic Fibrosis within her own family, as Celine mentions, “This is a moving account of her family’s refusal to give up…”
If you’d like to read Sixtyfive Roses, and purchase the book, a portion of your purchase is donated to the foundation Heather founded for Cystic Fibrosis. It’s a beautiful book, even those will the coolest of heart will be moved to tears and heartfelt warmth.
As a bonus to my readers, Heather has allowed us to give away one copy of her book, Sixtyfive Roses.
To enter, visit the Cystic Fibrosis website and look around. Follow them on Twitter or Facebook. This is based entirely on faith, but leave a comment here to tell me about your experience, what you’ve learned or what you know from your own life about Cystic Fibrosis. Or simply tell me why you’d like to read this book. A random winner will be chosen.
The best book I have read in a long time. I have Cf myself, and it was nice to read about the illness from someone elses perspective. I know what it’s like to have CF, and it’s nice to hear it from a family member, how they cope with it, and how it affects their lives.
I only wish Transplants were more successful back then.
Hello, I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting your site often.That is some inspirational stuff. Never knew that opinions could be this varied. Thanks for all the enthusiasm to offer such helpful information here.
My mother’s best friend when I was growing up had CF. She ended up passing away when I was in my 20′s. I read the review above of “Sixty-Five Roses” and absolutely can’t WAIT to get my hands on it! That’s one of those books that’s going to be hard to put down, I can already tell! Tears came to my eyes as I read above, and hopefully I’ll win and be able to read the life of Pam, and her sister Heather.