Boulet family marks fifth Green Shirt Day

Former Humboldt Broncos defenceman Logan Boulet will be on a lot of people’s minds Friday during Green Shirt Day.

The special day was started by Boulet’s family after he was one of 16 people who died as a result of the Broncos bus crash on April 6, 2018.

Logan passed away a day after the crash and people soon started to learn about his story.

“After Logan was tragically injured in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash, my wife and I offered for Logan’s organs to be donated,” Boulet’s father, Toby, said in advance of the fifth edition of Green Shirt Day. “Logan told me the year before that he wanted his organs donated if he passed and so we followed through his wishes.

“Within weeks and days after the crash, 150,000 Canadians registered to be organ donors. We do recognize and understand fully and accept that the Humboldt Broncos tragedy spawned all of this, but (Green Shirt Day) is for organ donor recognition and for awareness for registration to become a organ donor in Canada. That’s what it’s for.”

Toby says Logan was a very deep thinker and a team player as a kid. Toby notes what gave Logan the idea to become an organ donor was his volunteer personal trainer.

“Ric Suggitt was (Logan’s) offseason trainer. He passed away on June 27, 2017 of a brain hemorrhage and his family donated his organs and Ric saved six lives,” Toby explained.

“So in August that summer, we were sitting on our back deck and Logan turned to me and said he’s going to register to become an organ donor on his birthday ‘so if I pass away, I could save six lives just like Ric did.’ So I said, ‘You’re going to be 85 years old. Nobody is going to want your organs.’ ”

On Logan’s 21st birthday, March 2, 2018, he signed up to become an organ donor. Five weeks later, he passed away after the crash.

His parents don’t know how many lives he could’ve saved directly from donating his organs, but they said he helped six families in need.

Because of Logan’s courage and willingness to help out others, provinces across the country will be celebrating and recognizing Green Shirt Day.

Toby notes how thousands of people from across the world helped them in a time of need. He hopes by doing Green Shirt Day, his family can help other people across Canada and around the world.

“At this stage of the game after five years, we’re honoured to be able to give families hope. We’ve spoken online from Florida to California, British Columbia to Nova Scotia. We do what we can wherever we can to help. We just do the best we can,” he said.

“It makes us feel that we’re doing something. The community of literally the world did something for all the families in the Humboldt Broncos tragedy, they did something for us. So we feel with Logan, he was the kind of person that gave, so we’re giving back as much as possible for the society, not for us.”

People across Saskatchewan and the country are being encouraged to wear green to show their support for the day.

You can register here to become an organ donor and tell your family your wishes.

This year’s goal for the campaign is to inspire 100,000 people to become organ donors.

Regina’s Brandy Hehn, a two-time organ transplant recipient, designed this year’s shirt. She says the logo was inspired by the Pittsburgh Penguins and captain Sidney Crosby, whom Logan Boulet loved watching when he was a kid.