Legend: Teresa Carlson (left), Linda McDermott and Sharyn Shaw have been participating in The Great Escape Oz Car Rally for many years and will continue to raise money to find a cure for cystic fibrosis. Photo: Supplied
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Local cystic fibrosis fundraising champion Teresa Carlson will hold a garage sale on Saturday, May 18, to raise money for Cure4CF in the hopes of a cure for the terminal illness.
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The garage sale will be from 7am to 4pm at 214 High St, Echuca.
Ms Carlson has been a long-time advocate and fundraiser for cystic fibrosis research since her daughter Michelle passed away from the disease aged 17.
She is also a founding member of The Great Escape Car Rally, an annual charity motoring event that seeks to improve the lives of thousands of Australians suffering from cystic fibrosis.
Every year, Ms Carlson participated in the rally with Rally Car 65, an iconic vehicle that was bequeathed to her many years ago by Noel Lawson, who started the rally.
The number 65 is a homage to the story of 65 roses, which dates back to 1965, when a four-year-old, hearing the name of his disease for the first time, pronounced cystic fibrosis as “65 roses”.
Despite not participating in The Great Escape Car Rally this year, Ms Carlson is doing all she can to continue to raise money and support the cause and Cure4CF.
“I’ve retired from running the tracks now, but I’ve taken on a lot of the administration work behind the scenes to put a rally in place,” she said.
“I’m still fundraising for cystic fibrosis; we lost our beautiful daughter Michelle at 17, and ever since she’s been gone, which is nearly 30 years now, I’ve been pursuing that dream to find a cure.
“Over the last 20 years, I’ve raised over $1.3 million.”
Loving memory: All of Teresa Carlson's fundraising efforts have been to honour her daughter Michelle (pictured) who passed away due to the disease at 17. Photo: Supplied
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The garage sale will have memorabilia pertaining to past rallies accumulated over the past 30 years, among other household items that you would find at a regular garage sale.
Ms Carlson highlighted the importance of raising money for cystic fibrosis research and its impact on people with the disease.
“With all the fundraising that we have done collectively now, the average age for people with CF is between 37 and 38,” she said.
“It’s made a massive difference in many people’s lives with new medications; new techniques in physio have prolonged the lives of many kids born with cystic fibrosis.
“Every four days, a child is born with cystic fibrosis, so it’s pretty common, and we are not government funded, so they rely on ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
“Every dollar we get from the fundraiser is a dollar we didn’t have; every bit does make a difference.”
If you want to get involved in this year’s Great Escape Car Rally, you can register or donate here: The Great Escape Oz
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