‘I’m not done yet’: Long-term Banff resident searches for living kidney donor

He is easy to spot, even along the sidewalks overflowing with tourists and in the broken holiday traffic.

In the summer, it’s usually on an unmistakable cherry red Townie.

When there is snow on the ground, he chooses his most powerful bike – the one with the fat studded tires.

“I have six bikes, a whole fleet. I can ride in all kinds of conditions,” said longtime Banffite Dave Millard, whose bike is his primary form of transportation.

“Good exercise, don’t have to pay for gas or parking,” Millard said. But he admits the benefits of cycling extend beyond the perimeter of convenience. “It’s a great exit … a sense of freedom,” he added.

Millard has spent most of his life in the mountain town.

He retired from a lifelong career with Parks Canada, but still volunteers his time, helping groom trails, shovel sidewalks and look out for his neighbors.

However, the freedom he and those dependent on him have enjoyed is compromised by an incurable disease.

Millard has been living with polycystic kidney disease, the same disease believed to have killed his father when he was just three years old.

“My mom said they came home from dancing one night, my grandma was taking care of me, and he died in the living room.

A doctor lived across the street, he came over and he was dead,” said Millard, who has very little memory of his father but has never stopped wondering about him.

His father was only 33 years old and had no idea of ​​his condition. Millard is now twice his age, but diet, medication and regular blood tests have made it manageable.

“I really haven’t slowed down in my lifestyle. I am athletic, my diet has become more boring,” he said. “I drink about eight liters of fluid, I’ll do whatever it takes.”

Last March, during a visit to his specialist in Calgary, he got the update he’s been dreading hearing.

“He said the time has come – my efficiency had declined to the point where I was close to requiring dialysis and requiring a transplant.” said Mallard. “I really don’t want to have to do dialysis. Weather conditions, expenses and time, it would change my lifestyle completely.”

There are currently no dialysis machines in the Bow Valley. Four times a week, up to 12 people have to drive as far as Lake Louise for the life-saving treatment.

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“It’s super cumbersome,” admitted Margie Smith, site administrator at Banff Mineral Springs Hospital.

There is a push to bring the machines to Banff and a study is planned to see if it is feasible for the area.

“We’re very much in the early stages of it right now, but it’s something that’s super exciting to me because I know it’s having such an impact on people here in the Bow Valley,” Smith said.

Millard is searching for a living donor to match his B-positive blood type.

A close friend offered him one of his kidneys, but after a flurry of tests it was determined to be incompatible.

He must now find someone who can ultimately help save his life.

“I’m putting myself out there and it’s not really my style, but the alternative isn’t that good, so here I am,” he said.

Millard credits his dedicated group of friends spanning decades and his partner for helping him stay positive and push through the uncertainty.

He hopes that the day will come when he finds a match.

“I have a lot of things I want to keep doing. I’m not done yet,”

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