Southold’s native’s fiance set to receive gift of life, new kidney Tuesday

[Clark]

http://southoldlocal.com/2014/11/30/southolds-natives-fiance-set-receive-gift-life-new-kidney-tuesday/

Southold’s native’s fiance set to receive gift of life, new kidney Tuesday
by Lisa Finn

During the season of giving, with crowds packing stories to buy piles of gifts for the holidays, one Southold native is giving the greatest gift of all — the gift of life.
And for Southold native Megan McIver, whose fiance found a kidney donor after a desperate search , the gift, given by her lifelong friend Alexandria Lawson, is profound.
Recounting the story of love and friendship, lifelong bonds and hope, McIver explained that the transplant will take place Tuesday at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York; she and her fiance, Matthew Botchler traveled into the city Tuesday for the final cross match testing with Alex, “his donor and my friend. Alex received the phone call on Wednesday that everything is a go,” she said.
“Words cannot even begin to explain how grateful Matthew and I are for Alexandria’s selfless act. This is the season for giving and Alexandria is giving Matthew a second chance at life, and allowing me to have a chance to live happily ever after with him. Matthew and I are the luckiest people is the world and its all because of her,” McIver said.
Botchler, 37, wants to thank all of his supporters, some of whom he’s never met. “Thank you for believing in a guy who has an illness, and not walking away because I am sick. Its because of my supporters that I keep fighting this horrible battle.”
He added that there are numerous other people who are in desperate need of a kidney. “I see and sit with these people three times a week for four hours each time at dialysis. They, too, have every right to have a second chance at life. They never asked for this illness, just like I didn’t. I hope that others reading this will consider helping them, just like there were people who came forward to help me.”
Reflecting on Tuesday’s scheduled transplant, Lawson said, “I am so honored to be used by God to save a life. I feel great about the decision and I’m pretty excited to see Matt feel better. We are both so grateful for the love, support, and continued prayers from everyone. It’s truly a blessing.”
2014_1130_Matt2McIver, 32, met her fiance in 2007; the two, who now live in Selden, are deeply in love — but faced one of the most devastating challenges of their lives as they searched desperately to help Botchler find a live kidney donor.
Botchler, who is in Stage 4 kidney failure, is in dire need of the kidney transplant. During the search, he set up a Facebook page, “Matt’s Kidney Kampaign” in his quest to find a donor and raise awareness about living with chronic kidney disease and failure.
This spring, after a desperate search, Southold native McIver received the news she’d been praying for — a living kidney donor had been found for her fiance. And the donor was McIver’s best childhood friend from Southold.
Over the months, McIver  has spoken with SoutholdLOCAL and given updates on her fiance’s condition. “Matt is taking it one step at a time but he is striving to get better ASAP,” she said, after surgery in June. “Today is Day Two after his 10-hour surgery and he was able to sit upright in a chair twice today and was lifting his legs. I am so proud of him.”
McIver described the anguish of waiting during the procedure. “Like the other surgeries Matt has gone through, the day seemed like it would never end. I couldn’t help but go through all the worst-case scenarios and it felt like time just stood still.”
She added, “I couldn’t keep eyes off the entranceway to the surgical waiting room. But finally the doctor appeared and we received good news, that Matthew’s surgery was successful and that the doctor’s team was finishing up the last few sitches. After the handshakes and hugs were done, I think it finally set in and a flood of relief and emotions came over me and started to cry. ‘Yes, he made it!’, I thought. ‘Thank the Lord! Matt made it through the first hurdle.”
Since then, Botchler has recovered from surgery and commenced dialysis. Both his kidneys were removed in advance of his upcoming transplant.
On his Facebook page, Matt’s Kidney Kampaign, Botchler wrote in the spring that a match had been found.
“On Tuesday, I got the most incredible phone call and all the prayers and all the good wishes happened,” Botchler wrote. “I got the first call which was a three-way call from Megan and Alexandria Lawson. What I heard will forever change my life. I have found my matching donor. The search is now over! All the hard work paid off.”
Shortly after that phone call, Botchler said, his transplant coordinator called to share the news.
And in a miracle turn, the donor, Botchler said, is his fiance’s best friend, Lawson. “They grew up together, went to school together, and even lived across the street from each other. Alex, you are a godsend and my angel. You will be giving me new life and I thank you and love you so much.”
McIver said her friend Alex and she grew up together. “We’re very close. Alex, my sister and I were considered the three amigos. Always together,” she said. “After we both graduated Southold High School in 2000, we sort of went our separate ways but throughout the years we always came back together. In 2008, Alex moved to Virginia Beach but we kept in touch. I went to visit her in Virginia and she would come up to visit her family from time to time. This past Christmas she came out and stayed at our place. She knew what was going on with Matt. She saw me break down and cry. I can’t speak for Alex as to why she has decided to make a such a life-changing decision, not just for her but for Matthew, as well. I know that there are no words that can truly express how grateful and thankful I am. It takes a special kind of person to make such a sacrifice to help others in such a time of need.”