Transplant recipients share their stories to help people become organ donors in anticipation of Green Shirt Day. The day began in honor of Humboldt Broncos defender Logan Boulet, who was tragically killed in the 2018 bus accident in Saskatchewan that claimed the lives of 16 passengers, leaving 13 injured. Boulet succumbed to his injuries one day after the accident on April 7, 2018 and his parents offered to donate his organs to save six lives. Lisa Van Leeuwen, a resident of Kelowna and a member of the Canadian Transplant Association, noted that after the news of Boulet’s organ donation spread, 150,000 people registered as organ donors. “Green Shirt Day is a day dedicated to raising awareness about organ donation, its benefits, its value, how many lives it can change, how many people who donate their organs can make a significant difference. . “Something like that,” said Van Leeuwen. Van Leeuwen received a heart transplant in 2020 after 20 years of heart failure and other heart problems that were not diagnosed until she was 30 years old. “This transplant allowed me to have a total second chance at life. “My life was kind of over, my world was very small, it was a challenge to even climb the stairs, I had to stop and rest,” said Van Leeuwen. “Basically I had given up everything around me, I could not go out and socialize or see people. “Having done this transplant, I knew that one day it would happen; when it did, everyone just opened up to me.” Fiona Walker, a resident of Vernon, had a kidney and pancreas transplant 11 years ago. She had type 1 diabetes when she was three years old, her kidneys started failing when she turned 15 and then failed completely until she was 19. “Just waking up one morning and not knowing who I was or where I was, is almost like amnesia. “I had dialysis for five and a half years and then I had my double transplant when I was 25,” Walker said. Walker says she is no longer type 1 diabetic, as she is now able to produce insulin with her transplanted pancreas and is no longer on dialysis. He is now studying to become a paramedic. Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran signed a proclamation last month declaring April 7 as Green Shirt Day in the city. Van Leeuwen encourages people to wear and display green on Thursdays to raise awareness about organ donation. “It’s a wonderful gift to make, it is by far the most impressive gift one can give to someone. “I am eternally grateful to my donor and I think about him every day,” said Van Leeuwen. “It’s a part of my life.”
