Murray Wood: Arrest in 2001 Saskatoon assault case should make perpetrators worried
A 52-year-old man has been charged in connection with a 2001 sexual assault allegation in Saskatoon. Murray Wood says he...
A movement sparked by tragedy continues to save lives across Canada by encouraging organ donation.
The Green Shirt Day campaign, held each year on April 7, was created in honour of Humboldt Broncos player Logan Boulet, whose decision to become an organ donor saved six lives after he was killed along with 15 others in the team’s 2018 bus crash.
Read more:
- Progress on Humboldt Broncos memorial continues eight years after crash
- Humboldt father says Netflix hockey series ‘turns my stomach’
- Humboldt marks eight years since Broncos bus crash
“It warms my heart to know that Logan’s heart is still beating, helping someone to take care of their family,” said his mother, Bernadine Boulet.
“That’s a silver medal for sure, and a ray of sunshine in such a difficult time.”
In the weeks following the crash, nearly 150,000 Canadians registered as organ donors, an unprecedented response now known as the Logan Boulet Effect.
Boulet said the decision had been her son’s, shaped in part by the loss of a family friend who had also donated organs.
When the time came, she said she knew what Logan would have wanted.
“I knew he was young, he was strong, he was healthy, someone else could use those organs to have a better life.”
Eight years later, the message behind Green Shirt Day remains as urgent as ever.
Michelle Hofer, manager of communications and community development with the Kidney Foundation of Canada, said the need for organ donors continues to grow.
“Up to 70 per cent of those waiting for a solid organ transplant in Canada are waiting for a kidney,” Hofer said.
She said more than 4,000 Canadians are currently waiting for a transplant, with some waiting years for a second chance at life.
“People can wait almost close to four years,” she said.
Hofer said one of the biggest barriers to donation is a lack of communication.
“Many opportunities are missed each year because families don’t know what their loved ones wanted.”
That is why both Boulet and Hofer stress the importance of having conversations, not just registering, but making sure family members understand those wishes.
“If you’ve had conversations, it’s a lot easier to be able to make decisions about what your loved one would like to have happen,” Boulet said.
Green Shirt Day events now take place across the country, from community gatherings to buildings and landmarks lit up in green, all aimed at sparking those conversations.
For Boulet, the message remains simple, even eight years later.
“Wear green, have conversations, register and be inspired by Logan.”
Read more:
