With Valentine’s Day approaching, the image of a red rose prompts the thought of grand, romantic gestures.
For Busselton’s Jackie Fraser, who lives with cystic fibrosis, a red rose has a deeper meaning. It is the emblem of Cystic Fibrosis Australia, and plays an important role in raising awareness about the condition through the catchy ‘65 Roses’ campaign.
This Valentine’s Day, Mrs Fraser doesn’t want a bouquet from husband Aidan, she wants people to sign up for F45 Training Vasse’s fundraiser for Conquer Cystic Fibrosis on February 22.
F45 Training Vasse owner Jason Ey said the club didn’t mind doing ‘something a bit crazy’ to show love for its community.
“Both Jackie and Aidan are members here and they both work hard to have an active healthy lifestyle,” he said.
“The difference is, Jackie has CF. We are a family here and want to show our support by taking on a challenge of our own, which is really not much of a challenge in the scheme of things.”
The club will hold a 24 hour super session of its one hour Hollywood class, a workout featuring 27 different stations. Spots in each session will be a $10 donation for members and $20 for non-members. The concept has already been lapped up by many Busselton businesses, who jumped at the opportunity to sponsor and boast the naming rights of one of the 24 time slots.
Mrs Fraser said she was excited about the event, and overwhelmed by the support from F45 Training Vasse.
“Everyone is so generous, it is so humbling that people want to fundraise for this cause,” she said.
Mrs Fraser has been a long-time campaigner for Conquer Cystic Fibrosis, all the while taking on her own health journey.
She had a message for anyone thinking about participating in the F45 fundraiser that was worried they couldn’t handle the intensity.
“My lung function is currently 21 per cent, I can do it and will be doing it on the day,” she laughed.
“Hollywood is actually my favourite because you only spend 45 seconds at each station, and repeat twice, so it is over before you know it – which is my type of exercise.”
For information on how to donate and be a part of the day, visit F45 Training Vasse on Facebook.