'Urgent need for donors': Canmore man's organ donation life-changing for Banff resident

BOW VALLEY - Peter Perren sees everything in life as a gift - even his kidneys.

It was at church one day when the Canmore resident opened up the weekly bulletin to see Dave Millard's story spread across the page.

The longtime Banff resident was living with polycystic kidney disease and the function of his toxin-filtering organs was quickly worsening - Millard was in search of a living donor.

"I was turning 70 and I just found myself starting to think about retiring and reflecting on my life. I was just so incredibly grateful for everything in my life," Perren said.

Having survived a climbing accident on Mount Logan in his 20s that "should've killed him", going on to start a law practice in Canmore, building a family and with a healthy body that allows him to stay active in the mountains, Perren only felt gratitude for his life.