Times Colonist

Hockey player’s organ donation inspires others to be donors

- ADINA BRESGE

Many social-media users say the donation of Humboldt Broncos player Logan Boulet’s organs has inspired them to become donors themselves, with health officials in two provinces saying online registrati­ons have surged in the days following the horrific crash.

A spokespers­on for B.C.’s organ donation agency said it saw more than a sixfold increase in online registrati­ons over the weekend compared with two weeks earlier, and Ontario officials said registrati­ons nearly tripled Sunday over the same period of time.

Boulet, a 21-year-old defenceman from Lethbridge, Alta., was among the 15 people who died after the junior hockey team’s bus and a transport truck in Saskatchew­an collided Friday. Fourteen others were injured.

His godfather posted a statement on behalf of the family saying a surgical team from Alberta travelled to a Saskatoon hospital to conduct organ transplant procedures early Sunday.

Neil Langevin said six people were set to receive the “gift of life” from Boulet, and his other organs would be donated to science.

“Logan had made it known, and very clear to his family, that he had signed his organ-donor card when he turned 21 just a few weeks ago,” Langevin said in a Facebook post.

“These actions alone give voice to the selfless and benevolent nature Logan possessed in life for others.”

A spokespers­on for Ontario’s Trillium Gift of Life Network said 182 people registered online to become donors Sunday, up from 67 new registrati­ons on March 25.

The majority of Ontario organ donors register in person, and the number of registrati­ons tends to fluctuate, so it can be challengin­g to pinpoint any single explanatio­n for the jump, Jennifer Long said.

In B.C., 363 people have registered their decisions online since Friday evening, a B.C. Transplant spokespers­on said in an email, compared with 59 registrati­ons over the weekend of March 24 and 25, which is more typical.

Lee Ellis, a 55-year-old dog walker in the Toronto area, said she had been thinking about becoming an organ donor for a while, but only got around to it this weekend after coming across a tweet encouragin­g others to follow Boulet’s lead.

“There’s always a bit of a silver lining, even in a tragedy like this,” Ellis said in a phone interview. “This is definitely going to be part of his legacy. The people that get his organs are going to have a chance at a good life.”

Nicole Stokke in Nanaimo said on Facebook that it took her less than three minutes to register as a donor on her cellphone, and she didn’t even have to leave her bed.

“It’s such an easy thing that everyone can try to do to help,” Stokke, 25, said in a phone interview. “Life is so short. You never know when this kind of tragedy could happen to you.”

Ronnie Gavsie, the president and CEO of Trillium, said people across the country have taken heart in Boulet’s story.

“What makes Logan such a hero is that he actually took action,” said Gavsie. “His legacy will go on and on as an example to all Canadians of the importance of thinking about giving the gift of life today.”

Only 20 per cent of Canadians have registered as organ donors, she said, despite surveys suggesting that 90 per cent of the country supports the cause.

Good intentions are not enough to help the 4,500 people in Canada who currently need a life-saving organ transplant, Gavsie said. Every year, she said the wait list grows, and hundreds of people die without receiving the treatment they need.

She said many people put off registrati­on because they don’t want to think about how this issue could affect them.

Every person who registers as a donor has the potential to save eight people’s lives through organ donation, and their tissue could better the lives of 75 others.

 ?? SASKATCHEW­AN JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE ?? Humboldt Broncos player Logan Boulet was among the 15 who died in Friday’s horrific crash in Saskatchew­an involving the team bus and a tractor-trailer.
SASKATCHEW­AN JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE Humboldt Broncos player Logan Boulet was among the 15 who died in Friday’s horrific crash in Saskatchew­an involving the team bus and a tractor-trailer.

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