That same day, April 7, also marks the moment six people desperate for organ transplants to alter or even save their lives received news that a donor had been found and they were to travel to the transplant hospital immediately.
Shortly after, Logan Boulet lived on, improving the lives of others. He had registered as an organ donor a little over a year before the accident, and his parents Bernadine and Toby Boulet made sure his wishes were followed.
Word of the selfless act soon spread.
That led to a sudden and massive increase in the number of people registering as donors and signing donor cards in Canada, a trend that continues to this day and is known as 'The Logan Boulet Effect'.
April 7, the day Logan passed and his organs recovered, is now known as Green Shirt Day, with everyone encouraged to wear green in honour of the Humboldt Broncos, the fallen player and his selfless act.
Moose Jaw AAA Warriors head coach Trevor Weisgerber can tell you all about how much it means, having received a kidney transplant this past January.
“I was an organ donor before I even knew I had any of this stuff, but I was fortunate that the gentleman who passed away, he was as well,” Weisgerber said. “It's incredible the effect [Boulet] has had and the publicity that its gotten for organ donation... and for so many people to have signed their organ donation card because of him? That alone is incredible.”
While the Canadian Transplant Association estimated 100,000 people signed up in the year after the accident, a further 100,000 signed up after the first Green Shirt Day in 2019.
“It obviously shows the type of guy that he was, taking on his legacy that way,” Weisgerber said. “It doesn't take much to sign that card and if anything was to happen, you're donating your organs. When you pass away, if you can save a life that way.”
Almost 90 per cent of Canadians say they support organ donation, but only 23 per cent have actually registered their intent to donate. Though donation rates have improved over the last 10 years, there is more to be done as approximately 250 Canadians die annually waiting for an organ transplant.
For more on organ donaton and how to register, be sure to click here.
On Tuesday, wear green and continue to inspire one another by registering as donors and telling your families.
