This is one story of how the term "65 Roses", standing for Cystic Fibrosis, came to be:

"65 Roses" is what little children suffering from cystic fibrosis call their disease. As the following true story illustrates, the words are much easier to pronounce. Mary G. Weiss became a volunteer for the CFF in 1965, after learning that her 3 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, listened 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 he had cystic fibrosis. With some trepidation, Mary posed the question back to her child, "What am I working for, Richard?" "You are working for 65 Roses," he answered sweetly. Mary was speechless. She went over to him and gently pressed his tiny body to hers. He could not see the tears running down Mary's cheeks as she stammered, "Yes, Richard, I'm working for 65 Roses."