On April 6, 2018, Canada was devastated by a fatal collision involving the Humboldt Broncos hockey team that claimed the lives of 16 people and injured 13 others.
A day later, Logan Boulet died of injuries he suffered in the bus crash, but in a final act of heroism, he helped save the lives of others and launched a movement.
Logan had previously told his family of his wishes to be an organ donor if anything ever happened to him. His organs were donated, saving six people.
April 7 has become known as Green Shirt Day, in honour of Logan and the others who tragically died in the crash, and those whose lives were changed forever.
Toby and Bernadine Boulet – the parents of Logan Boulet who, along with 15 others, died in a bus crash in Saskatchewan in 2018.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO
“At first, it was really hard, because this is our loss, this is my son, this is a brother, this is a cousin, a grandson that we’ve lost. It’s not your loss, but then we’ve kind of realized that it has made an impact,” said Bernadine Boulet, Logan’s mother.
She says it took time for the pain of her family’s loss to heal to a point where she could see the incredible legacy Logan was leaving behind.
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For Toby Boulet, Logan’s father, it’s a true testament of Canada’s loving nature that Logan’s legacy lives on, and on the anniversary of his death, the family has renewed its appreciation.
“It makes us proud to be part of this community and the community of Canada. It makes us so proud that people take the time to gather, organize, do things, turn their lights green, organize proclamations from their cities, provinces, towns, villages across Canada.”
Just as the memory of the tragedy remains, so does the impact of Logan’s gift.
“I definitely wasn’t a person – when I was in Grade 6, 7 or 8 – who thought about organ donation,” said Lisa McGee, a middle school teacher at G.S. Lakie.
McGee taught Logan at the school and credits him with inspiring a new generation of organ donors.
“It was not something that ever had crossed my mind … so my true connection was through Logan. That has inspired me to take that on and hopefully inspire the kids to start thinking about that in Grade 6.
“We’re not asking anybody to make any decisions, but having (Green Shirt Day is) an opportunity, opening that door that might not have been there otherwise.”
Opening the door to conversation can be just as crucial as people signing up to be a donor.
“It’s really important to just ask somebody. If you don’t know anything about (organ donation), just ask,” said Brenda Brown, president of the Canadian Transplant Association, who is also an organ recipient.
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