Sask. had a record number of organ donors last year and this transplant surgeon attributes ‘Logan Boulet effect’

Saskatchewan saw a record number of organ donations last year, according to the province — something one transplant surgeon says points to a shift in how people think about donating their organs after death.

The province says there were 30 deceased donors for the fiscal year from April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023 — a record high for Saskatchewan. There were also 46 successful kidney transplants during that period — the second-highest number for Saskatchewan, the province said in a Wednesday press release.

Also, 276 patients have donated eye tissue, which helps improve people’s eyesight, the county said. A transplant is sometimes the only treatment for people with an organ damaged by injury or disease.

Dr. Saskatoon transplant surgeon Michael Moser says there has been a culture shift around organ donation in the province. While people aren’t generally very good at talking about death, that’s changing, he said, and people are becoming more and more comfortable talking about organ donation.

“We see a lot more good news stories in the media. People talk about it. We get a lot of support from the health authorities,” he said.

“This has resulted in many positive changes, such as the Saskatchewan Online Organ and Tissue Donation Registry, which has been important.”

The ‘Logan Boulet Effect’

In 2022, Moser received the Logan Boulet Humanitarian of the Year award – named after the Humboldt Broncos hockey team player who died after the 2018 bus accident that killed 16 people, but whose decision to become an organ donor helped save six lives.

Saskatchewan’s transplant team, which facilitates pre- and post-transplant care for organ recipients in the province, won this year’s team award.

That team has been instrumental in handling transplants and supporting families, Moser said.

He believes what he calls the “Logan Boulet effect” has contributed to the increase in organ donors in Saskatchewan in recent years.

The 21-year-old Broncos defenseman signed his organ chart on his birthday — five weeks before the bus crash — and told his parents he was registering as an organ donor.

After his death, nearly 150,000 people registered as donors in the following weeks.

But Moser said there is still a shortage and a lot of work to do. Thousands of people are on waiting lists for life-saving organs, he said.

“Probably about 25 percent of those people won’t survive long enough to get their transplant,” he said. “They’re going to die before they get their transplant on time.”

‘Now I have a life again’: transplant recipient

Monica Goulet is a kidney transplant recipient and advocate who just celebrated the four-year anniversary of her surgery. Much more awareness is needed around the needs of organ donors in Saskatchewan, she said.

“I think there are some myths in the community. I think some people are afraid that if they donate a kidney they will shorten their life expectancy.”

Goulet wants more meaningful education and funding from all levels of government for organ donation.

She also wants more work done to help Indigenous people apply to become donors and access resources. Proponents have said there is a lack of access to transplant services in Northern and Indigenous communities.

Another transplant recipient, Debbie Onishenko, received a kidney transplant four months ago and said she has never felt better.

“To look at me now and see how it used to be – Brent [her donor] is my hero. He saved my life. And now I have a life again. And there are so many people who really need it.”

Onishenko wants people to get more active about organ donations, but said she’s been encouraged by the increase in donations in Saskatchewan.

“Over time, people forget these things, and if they’re not affected by them, they don’t remember,” she said.

“Hopefully this is an indication that they are now thinking about it and putting their name on donation lists [donors after they’re] died, or just donate blood or plasma.”

According to the province, 800 adult and pediatric residents of Saskatchewan are currently living with a donated organ.

While polls show that the vast majority of Canadians support organ and tissue donation, only about a third have made a decision about their organ donation wishes. said in his press release this week.

The province launched her organ and tissue donor registration in September 2020 to increase that number. To date, nearly 21,000 Saskatchewan residents have registered their intent to donate their organs and tissues, the province said.

Any person 16 years or older with a valid Saskatchewan Health Services Card number can register as a donor.