Seeking help? Welcome!
The Fredericksburg Area Sickle Cell Association (FASCA) is a nonprofit, volunteer health-service organization
We're part of a caring, state-wide sickle cell network
We were founded in 1972 by the Rev. Lawrence A. Davies, who envisioned a statewide network of sickle cell organizations, providing education and promoting awareness in order to improve health care services for sickle cell patients.
We serve Fredericksburg and surrounding counties
Since its founding, FASCA has provided effective education, encouragement, and support for residents of Fredericksburg and the surrounding counties, including Stafford, Spotsylvania, King George, and Caroline.
We're independent and financially self-sustaining
Incorporated in 1994, FASCA operates as a completely volunteer, financially self-sustaining organization, independent of any commercial agenda. Contributions and membership dues provide our support.
Our leadership is knowledgeable, experienced, and committed
FASCA is governed by a knowledgeable board of directors. Our leadership includes nurses, clergy, parents who have raised children with sickle cell disease, and other experienced, committed advocates.
Testing brings knowledge
Are you worried that either you or a loved one might carry the sickle cell trait??
Talk to your medical provider
To be sure that you are being tested in the right way, be sure to ask your medical provider for the HEMOGLOBIN ELECTROPHORESIS test by name. Don't be vague about what you want.
Different types of hemoglobin
Hemoglobin is what gives your blood its red color. It carries the oxygen. And just as there are different blood types, there are DIFFERENT HEMOGLOBIN TYPES.
What the results mean
If a hemoglobin electrophoresis test determines that both parents carry the sickle cell trait, then there is a 25 percent chance with each pregnancy that a child will be born with sickle cell disease.
In Virginia, all babies are tested
In Virginia, all newborns are screened for sickle cell disease. Be sure you ask for the results.
Upcoming Events
Advancements offer hope
In recent years, significant medical advancements have brought the ability to decrease the severity of sickle cell illness in children, thereby greatly reducing the overall death rate among youngsters with the disease.
For children under five
The risk of infection
Infants with sickle cell disease have always been at great risk for overwhelming infection. The risk is especially high between the age of three months and five years. Infection during these early years has been the main cause of death among children with sickle cell anemia. In the past, as many as 40 percent of children with these infections have died. However, this no longer has to be the case.
Prompt screening and treatment
The power of penicillin
Prompt screening is the first step. All babies in Virginia are screened at birth before they leave the hospital to determine if they have sickle cell disease. Daily treatment with penicillin is the second step. Babies with sickle cell anemia have responded very well to daily treatment with penicillin. The penicillin, given every day by mouth, can reduce the risk of infection by as much as 84 percent.
Bone marrow transplants
Remarkable resuilts
Another promising advancement in recent years has been bone marrow transplants. A carefully matched bone marrow donor is required. The procedure can also require a lengthy hospitalization. As with all medical procedures, certain risks are inevitably present. However, in a large percentage of cases, bone marrow transplants have completely freed the recipient of sickle cell disease.
Sickle cell? We can help!
Nationwide, approximately 1 in 500 African American children is born with sickle cell disease. The Fredericksburg Area Sickle Cell Association (FASCA) provides supportive services to individuals and families whose lives are touched by this disorder, empowering them to meet challenges and to cope with the stresses of chronic illness. FASCA identifies community resources and develops a network of referral services that will assist individuals in their efforts to obtain not only quality medical service but assistance with daily living needs as well. In addition, FASCA develops and promotes educational programs designed to provide accurate knowledge about sickle cell disorders to individuals, organizations, and health-care providers in Fredericksburg and the counties of Spotsylvania, Stafford, King George, and Caroline.
Get in Touch
We'd love to hear from you!
Find us at the office
>> Our office is located at 250 Chatham Heights Road, Fredericksburg, Virginia 22405
>> We are open by appointment on Mondays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Use the contact form
>> Use the contact form to send us a brief question or message
>> We will get back to you as soon as we can
Come to our monthly meeting
>> Regular meetings of the association are held at the FASCA office at 7:30 p.m. on the fourth Monday of each month, except not during August, November, or December
>> Membership is open to anyone who makes a donation of $2 or more per year
Give us a ring
>> Call us at 540.371.2923 (leave a message if no one is available to answer)
Send us a message
>> Our email address is fasca3275@gmail.com
>> Our postal address is PO Box 3275, Fredericksburg VA 22402