Saskatchewan marks 8th annual Green Shirt Day

Green Shirt Day, born from the Humboldt Broncos crash that killed Logan Boulet eight years ago, returns as a national campaign urging organ donation.

Eight years ago, Humboldt Broncos defencemen Logan Boulet expressed to his family that he wanted to be an organ donor. This conversation went on to have significant impacts after the 21-year-old was killed in the bus crash that also claimed the lives of 15 of his teammates.

Logan’s parents, Bernadine and Toby Boulet, ensured that Logan’s wishes were honoured. This decision allowed for six other people to live, thanks to Logan’s donation.

“He would have said it was the right thing to do. He’s not going to need his healthy organs where he was going, and so by being able to donate, has made an impact on so many. And to want them to be registered donors and for them to have conversations. So, it makes me really proud to know that he continues to have an impact on people and inspire people,” his mother said.

In Logan’s honour, his family started Green Shirt Day on April 7 as a way to encourage organ and tissue donation.

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Toby and Bernadine Boulet shared that Green Shirt Day is not a sad day, but rather a celebration of their son, and people like Logan who were able to help others in such a profound way.

“It’s kind of cool. It’s more than kind of; it was very cool ... the outpouring of support from family and friends and people we don’t know is amazing right now,” Toby Boulet said.

In the weeks following Logan’s death, an estimated 150,000 people registered for organ and tissue donation across Canada. This became known as the ‘Logan Boulet Effect’ which remains the largest bump in donation registration due to a single event in Canadian history.

In recognition of the day, healthcare centres across Saskatchewan set up information tables as a way to educate folks about the process and need for organ and tissue donation.

“The wait list is so long in Canada, there’s about 4,500 people who are waiting for those life saving organ transplants. And some hundreds will pass away waiting for their transplant, so the need is there,” Lindy Brown, an Organ & Tissue Donation Coordinator said.

Brown added more people are registering their intent to donate and the demand is still very significant.

“The waitlist is continuing to grow. It’s exciting that there’s more and more donors every year. The numbers are going up which is great, but the list still outweighs what we’re able to offer,” she said.

While there is an online registry of intended donors, and many in Saskatchewan still have a red dot on their health cards indicating their donor status, Brown shared that the best way to ensure the wish to donate is honoured, is to have that conversation with loved ones.

“The most important thing is that your family is fully aware of your hopes and wishes so that when the coordinator comes to speak with them or a physician or the health care team, they are just fully aware of what your desires were so we can honor that,” Brown said.

The Boulet family echoed these sentiments. Both Toby and Bernadine shared that another goal of Green Shirt Day is to create an opportunity for folks to discuss a topic that many find difficult.

“Our hope is that we can create a new culture where people talk about organ and tissue donation, and it’s not like a subject that’s taboo or it’s daunting. But it becomes more of an everyday topic that people just talk about...it helps your family out by having that conversation,” Bernadine said.

The Boulet family shared that they, along with a number of family and friends, chose to mark Green Shirt Day by donating plasma.

Anyone looking to register their intent to be an organ and tissue donor can do so here.