Those of us who reside in Rider Nation wear green as a matter of routine.
But today, there is an extra-special reason to sport that colour scheme.
It is Green Shirt Day — a national day to build awareness of organ donation and honour players and families that were impacted by the Humboldt Broncos’ bus crash.
Logan Boulet was among 16 people who were killed as a result of the accident, which occurred on April 6, 2018 as the Broncos were travelling to Nipawin for a Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League playoff game against the Hawks.
Logan, who sustained an irreparable brain injury, passed away at age 21 on April 7, 2018 — six years ago today.
His heart, lungs, kidneys, pancreas, liver and corneas were harvested about 27 hours after he was admitted to Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon.
It was his stated desire to donate his organs and, accordingly, he registered as a donor.
Logan’s family conveyed his wishes to the medical team in Saskatoon and soon made the decision public via social media, creating an immediate and impactful response.
His organs benefited six people and led to an enduring phenomenon known as the Logan Boulet Effect.
Within two months, an estimated 150,000 people had registered to become organ donors due to the influence and compassion of one player — Boulet — and his family.
“It’s a ray of sunshine in the midst of a tragedy,” Bernadine Boulet, Logan’s mother, says from Lethbridge. “It’s something positive that happened.
“There are lots of positive things that families have done in memory of their angel, but this is certainly one that gripped the nation and has certainly made a difference.
“From our perspective, it makes it a little easier to navigate through, knowing that Logan has a legacy and it made a difference — not only to the six people who received organs and tissues from him, but also to thousands of people who are waiting for organs and tissues.
“Every time someone registers, it gives them hope that the organ or tissue that they need is going to be there. That hope is the big thing that has made everything a little bit easier to handle.”
Logan Boulet was inspired to become an organ donor by his trainer and mentor, Ric Suggitt, whose organs were donated after he died of a cerebral hemorrhage on June 27, 2017.
“In August of that year, Logan told me, ‘When I pass, I want to be an organ donor, because if Ric can save six lives, so can I,’ ” recalls Toby Boulet, Logan’s father. “He used that as a lightning rod, inspired by Ric.”
The first Green Shirt Day was held on April 7, 2019 — five years ago today.
“Green is actually the colour designated for organ donation,” Bernadine notes. “It’s a wonderful coincidence, considering that green is also a colour of the Humboldt Broncos and of Saskatchewan.”
Following the bus crash, the Roughriders organization was quick to reach out to the Broncos — also a community-owned team — and offer assistance.
On June 3, 2018, the Green and White held a training-camp practice at the Glenn Hall Park football field in Humboldt.
“We went to it and, gosh, there were probably 1,500 or 2,000 people on the sidelines, watching the Riders practise,” Toby marvels.
“It was awesome. They practised for about a half-hour. Then they had a barbecue and walked around and shook hands and signed autographs.”
Twenty-seven days later, the Roughriders designated a regular-season matchup with the visiting Montreal Alouettes as the “Humboldt Strong” game.
“From the very beginning, the Riders were really supportive of the Humboldt Broncos,” Bernadine says. “They allowed us to come to a game and to be together as a Bronco family.
“I think that was important because we just needed that opportunity to gather where we were able to be there but not be in the limelight.
“We’d like to say thank you for that. And we just want people to have conversations about organ donation.”
Although online registration of organ donors is important, simple dialogue can also play a crucial role.
“The conversations that people have with their family members or their friends are so important,” Bernadine says.
“If you’re ever in a situation where you have to make a decision about whether or not your loved one will be an organ donor, if you have that conversation then you already know how they feel about that.
“It just makes that decision a little bit easier to make.”
Easier still is the online registration process, which people can initiate by contacting their provincial organ and tissue donor registry.
To register in Saskatchewan, visit THE ORGAN DONOR REGISTRY
“The effects are exponential,” Toby points out, “because each person can have eight large organs donated to other bodies.”
When you consider the ripple effect, the numbers are staggering.
“The Logan Boulet Effect is still going on and that’s 1.6 million people who have actually had a conversation about becoming an organ donor,” Toby says.
“That just saves lives. It makes lives longer. It makes lives beautiful.”
For more information, visit THE GREEN SHIRT DAY WEBSITE
