BILLINGS — One Montana man is celebrating the ultimate gift this holiday season: the gift of life.

Sixty-one-year-old Randy Searer received a new liver last year.

After his surgery, in what he thought was a shot in the dark, Searer reached out to his donor's family. To his surprise, the family responded.

See photos from the Searer and Leep family reunion below: Montana auctioneer meets family of life-saving liver donor in emotional reunion

Searer is a livestock auctioneer and rancher in Savage, near the North Dakota border. His life passion had to come to a sudden halt when , in April of 2024, Searer found out he had Stage 4 liver cirrhosis. His only option was to get a new liver.

"For me, I didn't have a choice," Searer told MTN. "I mean, it was either die or get a new liver."

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