Fundraiser to help radio host relocate, get lung transplant

MEADOW LAKES — After lending her support to dozens of community fundraisers over the years, now it’s former on-air radio personality Becky Nichols’ turn to be on the receiving end of the Valley’s generosity.

“I am truly amazed that the community I have loved for more than 10 years is here to help me, even though it means moving back East to get the best medical treatment I can get,” Nichols said.

Nichols was born with a genetic condition called Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency, which means that her body does not make enough of the protein that ordinarily protects the lungs and liver from damage. Her brother died of the same disease at age 42 in 1995.

According to the Alpha-1 Foundation webpage, “Alpha-1 may result in serious lung disease in adults and/or liver disease at any age.”

For Nichols, the condition has developed into Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Breathing has become so difficult that she is dependent she uses a portable oxygen tank now while she prepares for a lung transplant, she said. Nichols has also experienced bouts of pneumonia and bronchitis in the last few months, she wrote in an email.

After her last bout in the hospital, her doctor told her she should make plans to leave the Valley due to the dust and glacier silt in the air, she said.

But to qualify for the transplant list, Nichols will need to live with in three hours of the Boston hospital that she hopes will do the eventual transplant.

To that end, a spaghetti dinner and auction fundraiser is planned from 5 to 8 p.m., July 26 at Wasilla Area Senior Center.

Organized by Christ First United Methodist Church Choir, Q99.7 Valley Radio, and Make A Scene, tickets are $10 for adults and $30 for a family.

“I am aiming to be out of here by the end of August,” Nichols said. “I am going to see a specialist in Lewiston, Maine, for Alpha and to begin the tests to try to get on the transplant list.”

She said her health struggles also have led to the loss of her house. The house and its contents will be sold at auction, Nichols said.

Kathy Webb, who sings in the United Methodist choir with Nichols, is helping her with the move.

“She’s the most positive person I ever knew,” Webb said. “She’s only got 27 percent lung capacity and she’s just so strong.”

Megan Vincent at Younique Boutique in Wasilla is another friend of Nichols and also is helping stage the silent auction at the fundraiser event.

“I met Becky when I first got my business started and was looking for a radio ad,” Vincent said. “I was a little nervous but she made me feel a lot better. She’s just really personable, fun and silly, and I’m kind of the same way, so we’ve been friends ever since.”

Local musician Josh Fryfogle, who also is the man behind Make A Scene, has known Nichols since her DJ days at Q99.7, when he released his first song on the radio.

“Becky was the first DJ to announce my name on the air. It was kind of a milestone in my life,” Fryfogle said.

Fryfogle worked with Make A Scene to design the posters for the event.

“She’s just a very nice, very community-minded person. She tends to make friends with whomever she meets,” he said. “I’ve always liked that she’s got a heart for people and animals, and it’s nice to see so many people coming together to help her back.”