Friends of Nicole Darden Creston put the spotlight on the Orlando radio reporter

Even though streaming subscriptions allow me to access audio from anywhere around the globe, most of the time you'll find my stereo tuned to WMFE 90.7-FM. Orlando's own National Public Radio affiliate station has long been the omnipresent soundtrack of my daily life, and for more than a decade the voice I've most looked forward to hearing on its frequency has been Nicole Darden Creston's.

If you're a fellow fan of her work as local anchor for headlining programs like "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered," you may have noticed that she's been absent from the airwaves for many weeks. Creston recently broke her silence about SIBO, the little-understood illness that has sidelined her, via a Facebook post and GoFundMe campaign. And over Thanksgiving weekend, her partner, Julian Bond, shared additional insights into her struggle with me ahead of his Dec. 2 fundraising concert for her at Blue Bamboo Center for the Arts (8 p.m. Saturday at 1905 Kentucky Ave., Winter Park; bluebambooartcenter.com).

Most Central Floridians know Creston for her career in radio journalism, which began 20 years ago at WDBO. But I've been a friend of "Nikki" for even longer. We first met through the extended theatrical family that was Theatre Downtown. After initially bonding over Buffy's musical episode, we collaborated in the early aughts on edgy original plays about porn stars and psychopaths, where she proved herself among Orlando's most fearless and formidable actors.

It was around that same time — although in a very different theatrical context — that Creston and Bond first met, while they were both working for the Titanic artifact exhibition during its tenure in I-Drive's long-demolished Mercado complex.

"I was brought on initially to arrange and produce music for that; then they found out that I was also an actor," recalls Bond, who is today a sought-after composer/arranger and pianist. "I was a Titanic enthusiast many, many years — a 'rivet head,' as some people call it — and I was thrilled when this exhibit [opened] and I wanted to be part of it. ... Then Nikki came on as an actor, and she and I became very good friends very quickly. And we stayed friends during my time there, but then I moved on to other things, and we lost contact for some considerable years."

In 2017, the pair reconnected after nearly two decades through a group chat about feeding their mutual friend's cat, and realized they were living two blocks apart. "I went to visit her at WMFE, which was just up the road from where I used to live," says Bond, "and we just reformed our friendship, which then blossomed into something greater."

By then, Creston was already an established reporter, appearing on Nancy Grace's, Greta Van Susteren's and Maury Povich's shows during her coverage of the Casey Anthony trial. She's been recognized by her peers with prestigious awards for political, public affairs and features reporting, including honors for her anniversary coverage of the Pulse nightclub tragedy. But, as Bond says, "Nikki does not trumpet her awards at all; she doesn't wear them on her sleeve in the slightest."

Instead of chasing splashier stories, Creston now literally shines a "Spotlight" (the name of her weekly arts and culture segment on WMFE) on those who are otherwise overlooked.

"Nikki is definitely driven by a passion to make other people's lives better. She is devoted to elevating voices that are not often heard," says Bond, adding, "she's limited in how much advocacy she can engage in as long as she's working for an unbiased news outlet, but given free rein, she would certainly want to champion the causes of those less represented."

Unfortunately, after years of advocating for others, Creston now needs aid herself, after contracting a confounding condition called small intestinal bacterial overgrowth [SIBO]. An excess of bad gastrointestinal microflora is robbing her body of nutrients, resulting in severe pain and malnutrition, and many doctors don't even understand how to diagnose it. "It's not only physically draining for her, but also it's been emotionally crippling, because there hasn't been an end in sight," says Bond.

After several failed initial treatments, Creston has been placed on an "elemental diet" of putrid-tasting powder-based drinks; a three- or four-day supply costs $125 (plus tax and shipping). An upcoming consultation at the Mayo Clinic will offer additional options, she hopes, but in the meantime her bills are adding up. "Even with health insurance, because so much of this requires specialist treatment, only so much of it is covered," Bond says — and the life-saving drinks are excluded. "Nikki is not somebody who will easily ask for help; in fact, she blanches at the thought of a handout. However, her friends and I love her and want to do what we can."

In addition to the GoFundMe organized by her former WMFE colleague Crystal Chavez, Bond's musical fundraiser on Saturday at Blue Bamboo will try to offset Creston's medical expenses, while also raising her spirits. "Some of it will be unplanned; some of it will be serious. A lot of it will be very silly. Most of it will be Christmas-y, or at least holiday-based," says Bond, whose "Unscripted" improv show was a hit at the last Orlando Fringe. "Even the smallest donation is not only appreciated financially, but also is like a greeting card to Nikki that says 'I'm thinking about you and I care,' which in terms of [her] overall health and recuperation is enormous."