Green Shirt Day will honour Logan Boulet’s legacy

The selflessness of a 21-year-old man will be celebrated Sunday.

Logan Boulet was among the 16 people who died as a result of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash on April 6, 2018. Just weeks before, Boulet had signed an organ donor card on his 21st birthday – and his family honoured his wishes shortly after he succumbed to his injuries.

Boulet’s father, Toby, told David Kirton on Saskatchewan Afternoon earlier this week that some families quietly make the decision to donate the organs of a loved one after they die. The Boulets weren’t able to do that due to the scope of the accident and the attention paid to it.

“Logan made a decision and we decided that we’re going to support Logan’s decision,” Toby said. “That’s what got us to Green Shirt Day.”

April 7 has been proclaimed Green Shirt Day. It will be an annual event – but the inaugural one will be particularly sentimental because it’s one day after the first anniversary of the crash.

The Boulets are to hold a family skate to mark the occasion.

“We’re going to celebrate Logan’s passing quietly,” Toby said. “Then that afternoon, we’re going to celebrate and if people want to come, put on a shirt and skate, we’re going to be there to support and celebrate.”

The Logan Boulet Effect has become a worldwide phenomenon, with people following the lead of the former Broncos defenceman and signing organ donor cards. Boulet got the idea when the family of his trainer, Ric Suggitt, donated his organs after Suggitt died in June of 2017 after a cerebral hemorrhage.

Toby Boulet said he saw a message on social media recently that put Logan’s actions – and Green Shirt Day – into perspective.

“It said that, ‘Ric threw the first pebble in the pond. That created the ripples and Logan jumped on the ripples and created the wave. Now a tsunami’s going across Canada,’ ” Toby said. “I think that’s exactly what happened.”

The decision to donate Logan’s organs wasn’t an easy one for the Boulets, just as it’s difficult for everyone who loses a family member. But Toby has been heartened by the responses he and his family have received since they obeyed Logan’s wishes.

“We’re glad that Logan could go on,” Toby said, “and we’re glad that people are happy that they have received their organs and they’re able to live productive lives and be strong Canadians.”

Boulet’s donation continues to have impact

The first anniversary of the crash falls during Organ and Tissue Donation Month.

Saskatoon transplant surgeon Dr. Mike Moser said the story about Boulet’s donation spread quickly after the crash and has had a lasting effect.

“Many, many, many people took a moment, just like Logan, just a few minutes to talk to their family about their wishes to be an organ donor,” Moser said about the days following the 21-year-old’s death.

Boulet’s story inspired more than 100,000 Canadians to sign onto organ donation registries, according to Moser, who believes that number could be much higher.