The Kidney Foundation of Canada is supporting the first annual Green Shirt Day on Sunday, April 7th. Green Shirt Day honours the legacy of Logan Boulet, one of the individuals who lost his life in the 2018 Humboldt Broncos bus crash. 

When Toby and Bernadine Boulet honoured their son's wishes to become an organ donor, Logan Boulet not only contributed directly to the lives of six organ recipients, he sparked what has since come to be known as the "Logan Boulet Effect." The unprecedented registration of over 100,000 organ donors since his generous act has become an international phenomenon.

The Kidney Foundation became involved with the Boulet family following the Legacy Award Ceremony last summer in Humboldt. The Boulets then agreed to speak at the Fright Night Fashion Gala, a Kidney Foundation sponsored event in Saskatoon held last October. 

Suzanna D'Aprile, Coordinator of Community Development for the Kidney Foundation, explains that at the event, the Boulets shared Logan's story. "We were able to express our gratitude for them to honour Logan's wish to be an organ donor and see how much it has affected all of us across Canada including all the organ recipients who attended the Gala."

D'Aprile herself is the recipient of a donated kidney, and she was able to connect with the Boulets and provide her own special thanks. "I recently celebrated my ten year kidney anniversary," she relates, "I never met my donor's family or had that opportunity to say thank you. So at the Gala, I was able to express my gratitude on behalf of all the recipients, how much it means for us all to have that second chance at life."

The Kidney Foundation is 100 percent behind Green Shirt Day confirms D'Aprile. She explains, "There are 4,600 Canadians on the transplant list, and 78% of those are waiting for a kidney transplant. In Saskatchewan alone, there are 89 people on the donation wait list for a kidney. Four kidney transplant surgeries have been done in 2019 so far."

Logan Boulet's Green Shirt Day is on April 7th, with schools and businesses invited to participate on April 8th. The Kidney Foundation reminds the public to have the all-important table talk conversation about becoming an organ donor.