Tuesday, April 7th is the second annual Green Shirt Day. It’s a day meant to remind people who support organ donation to sign their donor cards and spark conversations with their families about their decisions.

It was inspired by southern Alberta hockey player Logan Boulet, who died following the Humboldt Broncos bus crash in 2018.

Because Boulet was an organ donor, he was able to help save the lives of six other people and part of him continues to live on.

Green Shirt Day encourages everyone to wear a green shirt to recognize the importance of organ donors and to encourage people to register and discuss their wishes with families.

In a phenomenon known as the Logan Boulet Effect, more than 100,000 Canadians registered as organ donors in the weeks following the Humboldt crash in 2018. Then during the first annual campaign in 2019, it’s estimated another 100,000 people were inspired to register.

Each organ donor can save the lives of up to eight patients and tissue donors can impact up to 75 lives. Anyone can become a donor regardless of age or medical condition. Approximately 4,400 Canadians are waiting on organ transplants. The Canadian statistics show that while 90 percent of citizens support organ and tissue donation, only 23 actually register.

Last year, the Green Day campaign had a strong showing in schools, universities, and workplaces across the country. In the wake of COVID-19, the effort is going to have to shift to an online presence. Rather than “greening up” in large gatherings, everyone sporting green attire is invited to share those images and messages online and via social media.

More importantly, it's a day to make your wishes known to your family about becoming an organ donor and connecting with the Canadian Transplant Association for more information.

Logan’s parents, Toby and Bernadette Boulet of Lethbridge, continue to share Logan’s story in an ongoing effort to share Logan’s strength of character and generosity in a way that will help many others to live. 

For more information, head to greenshirtday.ca 

 

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*With files from Discover Humboldt