Wednesday will be Green Shirt Day in both the City and County of Grande Prairie, after both municipal councils proclaimed every April 7th Green Shirt Day. The day was created to honour the memory of Logan Boulet and the Humboldt Broncos and to raise awareness about organ donation and registration.
Boulet was one of 16 people who died in the crash involving a tractor-trailer and the team’s bus on April 6, 2018. He passed away on the 7th and had his organs donated by his parents which saved the lives of six people.
They did so because Logan told them he was registering as an organ donor, inspired by his coach and mentor Ric Suggitt. Their donation inspired a spike in people across Canada to register to become organ donors, which has become known as the Logan Boulet Effect.
County Reeve Leanne Beaupre says the gift of life given by those already going through unspeakable tragedy was something that created a huge impact. She believes it should continue to be in the spotlight.
“It’s so important, there are so many recipients out there waiting for organ donation,” she adds.
Beaupre says the awareness campaign will hopefully lead to more people notifying loved ones of their wishes, suggesting even signing the donor card doesn’t necessarily mean that your loved ones will honour your request.
“Living tissue is just as important in someone who has passed on and wants to donate their organs, so make sure you have that conversation with your loved ones and they know what your wishes are.”
It’s estimated almost 150,000 people registered to become organ donors in the days and weeks after Boulet’s death. Canadian Blood Services says polls have shown more than 90 per cent of Canadians support organ and tissue donation but only 23 per cent have registered. One donor is said to be able to save eight lives and provide tissue for up to 75 patients.
In Alberta, registration can be done through the provincial website.