Galway CF patient seeks support for 65 Roses Day – and help others like him
A Galway man living his best life on borrowed lungs – as he describes it himself – is asking his fellow Galwegians to turn out and support Cystic Fibrosis Ireland on 65 Roses Day.
Billy O'Toole is from Knocknacarra and he has Cystic Fibrosis. Indeed that’s only one of his issues – and yet he lives life to the full.
"This year I am turning 40. That's unreal,” he says.
“I have CF, diabetes, epilepsy, and borrowed lungs but none of that stopped me getting here. I am so thankful to every researcher, every doctor, every nurse, every scientist, every fundraiser, every drug trial, every person who said ‘we can do better’.
“Now I am looking forward with so much hope, but as we age, there are still so many unknowns and so much more work to do.
“So this 65 Roses Day, I am asking for your continued support for people with CF in Ireland - buy a rose, visit our stands in Dunnes Stores or donate online - we really appreciate it,” he adds.
The name of the annual Cystic Fibrosis Ireland fundraising campaign, 65 Roses Day, stems from how young children often pronounce “cystic fibrosis” and its objective is to raise vital funds for CF services and supports throughout Ireland.
This Friday is 65 Roses Day and Cystic Fibrosis Ireland has set a fundraising target of €300,000 for the day.
I have CF, diabetes, epilepsy, and borrowed lungs but none of that stopped me getting here.
Volunteers across the country will be selling purple roses to support fundraising in Dunnes Stores branches, shopping centres and other participating outlets, including Dunnes Stores in Briarhill, Edward Square, Knocknacarra, Terryland and Westside, as well as the Galway Galway Shopping Centre on the Headford Road, and Tuam Shopping Centre on Abbey Trinity Road.
Also, as part of 65 Roses Day 2026, Billy O’Toole and other CFI Ambassadors have penned letters to their future selves, imagining milestones and plans for futures that once felt out of reach.
Children living with CF also took part in a workshop with cartoonist Brendan Lonergan, creating self-portraits of themselves both now and as they envision their future selves.
These letters and artworks, which captures this hopeful shift through deeply personal reflections, form the foundation of a powerful new exhibition, ‘Rewriting Tomorrow’, taking place at The Copper House in Dublin city centre during 65 Roses Week 2026. The exhibition will run until Sunday.
Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is an inherited condition that affects multiple systems including breathing, digestion and reproduction.
Ireland has the highest rate of CF per capita in the world, with more than 1,400 people living with CF, 33 new cases diagnosed each year and many people living with the most severe forms.
There is no cure, and CF often becomes more severe over time – but thanks to multidisciplinary care and the introduction of modulator therapies, many people with CF are living well into adulthood.
However, as people age, new challenges can emerge, including CF related diabetes, osteoporosis and an increased risk of colorectal cancer.
CFI and its Ambassador, former Miss World Rosanna Davison, are asking people from Galway to support its annual 65 Roses Day so that vital services for people living with CF can continue nationwide.
Public generosity enables the organisation to provide essential supports to everyone who needs them, while also driving investment in hospital facilities, clinical teams and research. CFI remains firmly committed to advancing care and improving outcomes for people with CF — and will continue this work until the day a cure is found.
People can support Cystic Fibrosis Ireland on 65 Roses Day by purchasing a purple rose at Dunnes Stores and other participating outlets. For more information and to donate online, visit www.65roses.ie.