(Kidney Foundation of Canada)

By rdnewsNOW Staff

Green Shirt Day April 7, 2022

Kidney Foundation asks you to be inspired by the ‘Logan Boulet Effect’ and talk about organ donation

Mar 31, 2022 | 10:35 AM

A national event to encourage organ and tissue donation among Canadians is coming up next month.

The fourth annual Green Shirt Day is on Thursday, April 7, 2022, and hopes to see Canadians unite and bring enthusiasm to the occasion, along with green shirts to all platforms in their communities.

As a proud partner of Green Shirt Day, The Kidney Foundation of Canada is asking all Canadians to take time on April 7th to consider organ and tissue donation.

It was on April 7, 2018, following the fatal Humboldt Broncos bus crash that the parents of 21-year-old hockey player Logan Boulet made a fateful decision. They chose to follow Logan’s wish to be an organ donor, saving the lives of six Canadians waiting for transplants. Officials with the Kidney Foundation of Canada, say news of Logan’s gifts of life inspired more than 150,000 Canadians to register as organ and tissue donors in the weeks following the crash.

The Boulet family in Waterton National Park – 2016. (Supplied)

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To date, this is the largest number of Canadians registering to become organ donors in Canadian History due to one event – one person, say Foundation officials. It became known as the “Logan Boulet Effect.” Showing that there is always hope, even in the most tragic situation.

However, there is more work to be done, and more who could be inspired, add Foundation officials. Since then and even more so during the pandemic, the number of new organ donor registrants is said to have plateaued. Donation rates across Canada and in Alberta are still described as low. According to the Kidney Foundation of Canada, 4,100 Canadians are waiting for an organ transplant and not everyone can have a living donor.

Every year, on average, 250 people in Canada die because they do not get the life-saving organ they need, say Foundation officials. That is why it is so important to register your decision to become an organ and tissue donor and to make sure your family knows your wishes, officials point out. One organ donor is said to be able to save up to eight lives while one tissue donor can enhance the lives of 75 people.

In 2019, the family of Logan Boulet held the first annual Green Shirt Day in honour of their son Logan and the Bronco family. Green Shirt Day aims to amplify the #LoganBouletEffect and continue Logan’s legacy by inspiring more Canadians to talk to their families and register as organ donors.

The Kidney Foundation of Canada hopes everyone will join the Canadian organ and tissue donation community in championing this movement of hope and inspiration by wearing green on April 7.

“It is a privilege to honour Logan,” says Joyce Van Deurzen, Executive Director at The Kidney Foundation of Canada, Southern Alberta, and Saskatchewan Branch. “He will be in our hearts as we stand with the Boulet famiy to advance the cause of organ donation. We are deeply grateful for their courage in sharing their story, and for the work they are doing.”

According to the Kidney Foundation of Canada, 77 per cent of Canadians waiting for an organ transplant are waiting for a kidney and the average wait time is four years. Right now, hundreds of Albertans are said to be waiting for a transplant with their health declining as they wait.

There is no cure for kidney disease, so for many, a transplant is considered to offer the best chance at a healthier life. Officials say the Kidney Foundation is working with health care, industry, and government representatives to improve organ donation rates. The organization encourages Canadians to make a positive decision regarding organ donation and to discuss their wishes with their family.

On April 7, you’re encouraged to wear green and inspire conversations in person and on social media about the powerful and life-saving impact of organ donation. In the words of Logan’s father, Toby Boulet, “It’s about organ donation and awareness, we’re not trying to raise any money, we’re just trying to get people aware and registered.”

Find out more about how you can participate at: https://kidney.ca/News-Media/Campaigns/Green-Shirt-Day.