Conversations around organ donation, mental health and community are still prominent heading into the sixth anniversary of the Humbolt Broncos bus crash that claimed the lives of 16 and changed countless others.
In the past six years, Humboldt Broncos bus crash survivor Tyler Smith has become an advocate for mental health and shared his story with others. Through this journey, Smith says he has not only learned of the power of conversation but also seen the magnitude of it, and learned that there is a lot of perspective that can come from just talking with someone.
“I think I was always blinded to the fact that you can gain perspective and you can have those conversations with people you normally wouldn’t think you would have [them] with,” Smith says. “I am proud to say there are a lot of people I have crossed paths with in the past couple of years who have brought something to the conversation that has meaning and has relatability, just to being a human being and being a person who is just trying to figure it out.”
Ahead of the April 6 anniversary, Smith visited and talked with students at Winston Churchill High School and G.S. Lakie Middle School, which Lethbridge native Logan Boulet attended. Toby Boulet, Logan’s dad, says Smith’s talk at the schools touches on taking the time to talk to who you care about and who cares about you.
“In our case, the conversation is about organ transplant and becoming an organ donor, in his conversation it is about being not alone. About someone always being with you to help,” Boulet says.
With Green Shirt Day coming up, Boulet says he wants people to have those conversations about signing their donor cards. Boulet says his son made an impact in life and continues to make an impact in his passing, by leaving a legacy of “giving, caring, of passion and thinking of others first.”
When it comes to having conversations about organ donation, especially with a child, Boulet advises parents to listen to them.
“If your child comes up to you with anything and they want to talk to you, you need to put down what you are doing – turn towards them and engage with them; because if they are going to talk to you about something it is important.”
For Smith, he says being able to visit the school, see the impact Logan has made and walk the halls that Logan once walked came with several emotions.
“To see that impact brings a lot of warmth and a lot of comfort knowing that all these schools, all these teachers and all these people got to experience what we got to experience.”
Smith says following the April 6, 2018 bus crash the world lost 16 of the best people he knew, including Logan Boulet who passed away the following day, on April 7. Boulet was able to save six lives with organ and tissue donation and when news spread, his donation inspired around 150,000 people to register to become organ donors; which is still the largest number of Canadians ever registered in history.
In the past six years, Logan’s family, friends and the community continue to honour him by raising awareness about organ donation and sharing his story.