Stay home and post selfie to mark Green Shirt Day under COVID-19, BC Transplant says

Joanne Arcado is alive today thanks to an organ donor.

“I received a liver transplant in December 2013 due to an auto-immune condition,” the 34-year-old Maple Ridge resident told Global News.

And now, on Green Shirt Day, Arcado is among thousands of people across the country honouring the legacy of Logan Boulet.

The Humboldt Broncos hockey player died two years ago, when he and his team were in a catastrophic bus crash along a highway in rural Saskatchewan.

1:45 Marking 2 years since the Humboldt Broncos bus crash

Boulet saved six lives by donating his organs, having signed his donor card on his 21st birthday, mere weeks before the crash.

An estimated 90 per cent of Canadians say they support organ donation, but only 23 percent are registered.

“This year, we have changed our campaign because of COVID-19,” said Ed Ferre, executive director of BC Transplant.

“Typically, we have a lot of public events, but this year we are asking people to stay home, to wear a hockey jersey, take a picture, upload, and share that with friends and family and encourage them to register.”

Also encouraging others to register is Arcado.

“For my donor and all the other donors out there, we’re just so grateful as transplant recipients,” she said.

To register as an organ donor in B.C., click here.