The Fairview Baptist Church 39th Annual Oyster Roast will be held Saturday at the Fredericksburg Agricultural Fairgrounds to benefit a 2-year-old Fauquier County girl battling leukemia.
The event will take place from 2-5 p.m. and include fried and steamed oysters, hots dogs, coleslaw, dessert, chips and soft drinks.
The Fairview Baptist oyster roast raised $1.2 million in the previous 38 years. Twenty-six Fredericksburg area businesses covered all expenses related to this year’s event, which will benefit Aria Noelle Deskins.
Aria began to experience unexplained bruises and fevers at 11-months-old. Six months later she underwent blood tests that determined she had leukemia, and she immediately went into surgery at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center in Richmond.
Medical professionals installed a port, performed a lumbar puncture on her spine to start chemo and conducted a bone marrow biopsy to determine the specific type of leukemia.
While awaiting biopsy results, Aria developed a fever caused by an E. coli infection in her bloodstream. She was released from the hospital after two weeks with a port for IV antibiotics administered by her parents, Ashley and Jason Deskins.
Since then, Aria has undergone multiple surgeries to address infections and issues with her port and pic line. She recently completed intensified chemotherapy as her parents assisted in administering leg shots for the treatment, while caring for a newborn baby boy.
Donations from Saturday’s event will go toward Aria’s medications, treatments and other health related expenses. Procedures and chemo will continue until August 2025 with monthly lab work and tests for five more years.
All donations by check should be made payable to Fairview Baptist Church with oyster roast on the memo line.
For more information or to donate online, visit: riverclubchurch.com/oyster-roast.
