SIDNEY — Although Wednesday was a dark and rainy day for many in eastern Montana, it was a bright day for Randy Searer after he woke up with a new liver.
"Well, I'm doing pretty good," the Sidney resident said.
"So yesterday they found him a new liver. He got into surgery around 10 am, I wanna say. It was about an eight-hour-long surgery," Searer's son, Taylor Searer, told MTN.
Although the surgery in Denver was successful, it's been a long road. One April morning, Randy woke up and instantly knew something was wrong. After hospital tests and waiting periods, Randy found out he would need a new liver.
"We didn't know. I mean, I went to Billings one day with retaining fluids, and they ran all these tests, and they finally narrowed it down to a fatty liver," Searer said.
It's been a long road for the Searer family ever since.
"It is really though, because my dad is one the strongest people I know. So, seeing him not be able to do what I know he wants to do, it's really tough on me, and on my sisters," Taylor said.
For Randy, one of the most painful parts of his liver failure wasn't physical, but rather being unable to see his three children.
"It's really hard. I mean, they're adults, but they're still my buddies, and my friends, and people I see on a daily basis," he said.
After many months of pain and hardship, Tuesday's liver transplant marked the beginning of a return to his life of livestock auctioneering and ranching.
Taylor said, "(My dad's) had two passions, which is cattle and ranching, and talking. He's a talker. So, he's found a job that's perfect for him. He gets to be around livestock. He gets to be around all these great people, and he gets to talk for living, and absolutely loves it."
Unfortunately, there's still plenty of recovery ahead. On Wednesday, Randy's Sidney community came together to host a benefit livestock auction, the perfect way to honor him.
"We can't thank these communities for coming together and putting on these benefits for people in the community to help with finances, you know," Searer said.
Now, Randy is on the road to recovery, and hopefully on the road to Sidney, after staying in a Denver hospital for two months.
"It's truly a blessing that this process went as quickly as it did. I think it definitely lifted a weight off all our shoulders, knowing there is an end line," Taylor said.
Randy is able to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
"I'll tell you what, my motto has always been, never weaken.' I'm never gonna weaken. I guarantee you that," he said.
To help cover medical and travel expenses, a donation account has been set up at Richland Federal Credit Union, in Sidney.
