A year ago, 16 people died in the Humboldt Bus Tragedy. One of those people was organ donor Logan Boulet, who's organs went on to help six people.  Thousands of Canadians also signed up to become organ donors.   In response to his heroic action, Canadians everywhere are celebrating Green Shirt Day today (April 7) to raise awareness for organ donation.

Airdrie City Council has declared this day to be recognized as Green Shirt Day in the city as well.  City Hall will be lit up in green so everyone knows, and remembers, the importance of organ donation.

Jjoyce Van Deurzen, Director of the Kidney Foundation of Canada Southern Alberta and Saskatchewan, said that among all of the organs able to be donated, one of the most important ones is the kidney

"If your kidneys fail, you will need either dialysis treatments or a transplant to stay alive, you cannot live without kidney function. If yours fail, you need one of those two things to replace the function of your kidneys and that's why organ donation is so important because a new kidney, a transplanted kidney, is the optimal treatment for kidney disease. It's still not a cure, but it's an optimal treatment and right now, in Canada, we have over 4,300 Canadians waiting for an organ transplant and about 78% of them need a new kidney. That's why organ donation is so important to all of the work that the Kidney Foundation of Canada does."

Van Deurzen said that most people waiting for a donation are waiting for kidneys.

"More than three-quarters of the people waiting for a transplant are waiting for a kidney, so it is definitely the most transplanted of all organs, which is great. At the end of life, you can become an organ donor or, with kidneys, you can also become a living donor. We call that 'sharing your spare'. We've got two kidneys, you only need one good healthy kidney. Living organ donors are about nearly half of all kidneys now."

Despite being in the minds of almost all Canadians, Van Deurzen said most Canadians are not registered to be organ donors.

"The interesting thing is (that) about 90% of Canadians say they'd be willing to donate their organs upon their own death, but only about a quarter of those people have registered that good intention that they have to donate. Even fewer have told their family that that's their wish, to become an organ donor or to donate their organs when they no longer need them."

However, thanks to Logan's and his family's actions, more and more Canadians are registering.

"Register. Say 'I want to be an organ donor'."

 

"That's what Green Shirt Day is all about here. It's about moving people from positive intent to taking action on organ donation, to registering, and, most importantly, tell their family about their wishes. Organ donors can save lives, they do save lives. They are heroes. We just need to spread the word from coast to coast."

"That's really what the Boulet family has been doing. That's the Logan Boulet Effect. It means that he has inspired people to step up and register and take action on organ donation. This is just a continuation of that. This is the biggest public wave on organ donation and a group of people registering that has ever happened. That's what's known as the Logan Boulet Effect."

Green Shirt Day is meant to not just bring awareness but to honour Logan and all other donors.

"We really wanted, a year after Logan donated his organs, that Sunday is the one year anniversary of that, (...) honour all organ donors. We want to celebrate them, we want to celebrate Logan, and we want to get everybody taking action on organ donation. It's so important."

If you are not sure if you're able to donate due to a medical condition, Van Deurzen said to register anyway.

"Even if you think you might have a condition that might (make you say) 'oh, I couldn't be an organ donor' or 'that probably would disqualify my', register anyway. Times change. Sometimes over decades, sometimes over months or years. New technology, new learning. We just had the first HIV+ organ donation to another HIV+ person. That was a first. Previously, (they) would have been absolutely disqualified from being an organ donor."

For more information on how to register for the chance to save a life, visit the myhealth.alberta.ca.

 

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