The Dawne Switenky Memorial Foundation presented our Annual Humanitarian of The Year Award to Logan Boulet on Thursday, August 23, 2018. (Logan passed away due to a tragic accident in North East Saskatchewan on April 7th 2018).
Logan made a very important decision in 2017 to become an organ donor. HIS DECISION not only saved many lives but also inspired people across Canada to become registered organ donors. The approximate amount of new registrations fueled by Logan and the Humbolt hockey tragedy, resulted in nearly 95,000 new Canadian registered organ donors. Logan's inspiration to others is truly a miracle.
Logan made a very important decision in 2017 to become an organ donor. HIS DECISION not only saved many lives, but also inspired people across Canada to become registered organ donors. Logan's inspiration to others is truly a miracle, and we are honoured to recognize him.
Morris Irvine is an ever-grateful recipient of a double lung transplant, and knows first hand what families go through when a loved one struggles to survive while waiting for a hero to save them. Today Mr. Irvine spends his time advocating for organ donors. He is a key contributor to the SecondChance Trail Ride, an annual event attracting hundreds of people and raising tens of thousands for GoodHearts Foundation, housing transplant recipients and their families near the hospital as they wait for their own second chance.
Dr. Darren Freed is the Winner of our 2019 Innovation Award for his work advancing organ transplants with technology. Dr. Darren Freed is a native Albertan, recently relocated back to Edmonton from Winnipeg. He is a cardiac surgeon clinician-scientist with an interest in heart and lung failure and novel techniques to treat these conditions. His primary clinical interests are in cardiothoracic transplantation and mechanical circulatory assistance as well as less invasive cardiac surgery. His primary research interests are in ex vivo organ perfusion, heart transplantation, mechanical circulatory support and the biological basis of myocardial fibrosis. He obtained his MD from the University of Alberta in 1998 and completed his cardiac surgical training at the University of Manitoba where he also obtained a PhD in Physiology in 2004. In 2007 he completed a Clinical Fellowship in Cardiothoracic Transplantation and Ventricular Assist Devices at Papworth Hospital in Cambridge, United Kingdom. He is currently an Associate Professor, Division of Cardiac Surgery, Department of Surgery, with cross appointments in the Departments of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering. He is the Director of Research for the Alberta Transplant Institute. Dr. Freed is the innovator of systems that preserve the viability of organs for transplant.
Don Cherry Biography
-Don Cherry was born 1934 in Kingston, Ontario Canada.
-He left home at 15 to pursue his hockey dreams. In 1952 he won the Memorial Cup while playing for the Barrie Flyers.
-He then played pro for 18 years, in every league in existence at the time, while winning Championships in both the WHL
and the AHL.
-Coached Rochester Americans (AHL) & the Boston Bruins & Colorado Rockies (NHL)
-Won Coach of the Year in both the AHL & NHL
-At one time while coaching the Colorado Rockies he was the highest paid coach in the NHL.
-Coached internationally- Team Canada 1976 Canada Cup/1981 World Championships
-When his coaching career came to an end, he turned his focus to TV and Coach’s Corner was born in 1985 on HNIC.
-Hosted a syndicated weekly TV show This Week in Hockey
-He also had his own TV show The Grapevine Show which he hosted weekly with numerous star athletes.
- At around the same time he started to franchise his restaurants Don Cherry’s Grapevines
- His radio show Grapeline, is Canada’s longest running syndicated show at 25 years.
-His Rockem Sockem DVD’s is Canada’s all-time best selling non-theatrical collection of DVD’s, spanning 30 years of hockey
highlights.
- He once owned an OHL team in Mississauga
- had 2 TV movies made about his life,
- plus voted Canada’s 7 th All-time Greatest Canadian.
-Has a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame
- Founder of Rose Cherry’s Home for Kids a hospice for chronically & terminally ill children.
- Established Don Cherry’s Pet Rescue Foundation in 2014
-Past spokesperson for Kidney Car Program for the Kidney Foundation of Canada (KFOC)
-Lent his name to the “WHL Suits Up with Don Cherry” campaign to promote organ donation, raising close to $600,000 for
the KFOC
-Started Grapevine Podcast & in 2020 voted #1 podcast by Apple Podcasts
-His past charities that he supports with his time and in their fundraising efforts, is too numerous to list.
-Within all these accomplishments, he has written 5 top selling book
Cindy Cherry – Living Organ Donor – Story
“How fortunate am I that I could help Tim in his battle against kidney disease” recalls
Cindy Cherry how over 40 years after she donated her left kidney to her brother. “Listen,
I had the opportunity to help Tim get his health back on track and let me tell you, if
there was anything I could do to help him, no questions asked, I was going to do it.”
Cindy and Tim’s journey began 4 decades ago, having just graduated from
college, she went home to Boston, where her dad was coaching to Bruins.
Life was good, and she was contemplating what her future would bring.
However, Cindy had no idea of the surprise that was in store for her when she
arrived home to find her brother gravely ill. “Sick doesn’t even describe it. He
looked like a ghost when I first saw him. I was told he had kidney failure and
required dialysis to stay alive.” How did this happen? What is dialysis? Will my
brother be ok? These were all questions she recalls asking herself.
Despite her shock, Cindy first thought was how can I help? Remembering the
events, Cindy says “there was no discussion about it. He needed a kidney, I
have an extra one, so what do we need to do to make it happen.”
Testing started immediately and just three weeks later, Cindy was told she
was a match. October 10th (1978) was the day her brother was going to get a
second lease on life.
Tim was on dialysis for about 4 or 5 months – the memory is a bit cloudy 40
years later – “but that was 4 or 5 months too long” remarks Cindy. I know
things have changed in terms of detection, prevention, and transplantation
today compared to 1978, but our transplant system is still a long way from
perfect. She questions “Why aren’t folks getting a pre-emptive transplant?
Why are we waiting until people need dialysis before they get on the list? Why
are patients getting so sick that they become ineligible for a transplant?”
As a living donor who was out of the hospital in 5 days, fully back into her
routine 4-5 weeks later, and who has never had a complication resulting from
recycling her parts, this is the biggest message Cindy leaves with people: “We
all have 2 kidneys, but we only need 1. Too many Canadians are needlessly
suffering. If there is something you can do to help your family, friend,
neighbour, or just someone in your community why wouldn’t you do it?”
She continues “Canadians need to do better. From government to
communities because as a country, we aren’t doing enough to support organ
transplantation” and to patients waiting for a new organ, Cindy says “be your
own advocate. Don’t be afraid to take control of your journey because it is
your health at stake. And don’t be afraid to ask your loved ones to donate –
you will be surprised at the response you get.”
Cindy remains a staunch organ donation advocate.
In the past she has volunteered in the Transplant Ambassador Program (TAP)
in which she assists patients on dialysis to help them navigate the complex
transplant system. Plus, she spearheaded the WHL Suits up with Don Cherry
to Promote Organ Donation campaign. In their 3 seasons, close to $600,000
was raised for the Kidney Foundation of Canada.
Looking back at this accomplishment she surmises, “it wasn’t just about the
money raised, but if those games made one person donate – or even just sign
their card and start a conversation, well, the effort was well worth it”. As dad
says, “if it can happen to my family, it can happen to yours.”
CBR scientists recognized for impact on advancing organ
transplantation research, receive 2 community awards
Researchers from the Kizhakkedathu Lab were recently honoured with two awards, for the impact of
their work on advancing organ transplant technologies.
Dr. Jayachandran Kizhakkedathu, Dr. Erika Siren and Daniel Luo received the Logan Boulet Humanitarian
Award 2021, while the Organ Transplant Innovation and Research Team Award 2021 was presented to
the Centre for Blood Research at UBC and accepted by Dr. Kizhakkedathu.
Award representative Rodney Staff presented both honours, on behalf of the Angels Legacy Project from
the Dawne Switenky Memorial Foundation, a Saskatchewan-based group that supports respectful organ
donations.
"It was eye-opening to be recognized by an organization like this" said Dr. Kizhakkedathu, the Principal
Investigator of the lab. "Publishing a paper on our study was great, but it's really the community
recognition that reinforces the importance of transplantation research, for people and society."
Published this year in Nature Biomedical Engineering, the researchers developed a special coating to
coat blood vessels on an organ to be transplanted. The coating substantially diminished rejection of
transplants in mice, and the researchers hope that their work will one day improve quality of life for
transplant patients and also improve the lifespan of transplanted organs.
During the awards ceremony, Staff shared the stories behind the awards. Dawne Switenky, whom the
Dawne Switenky Memorial Foundation was named after, died while on the waiting list for a lung
transplant. A donor herself, Dawne's eyes were donated after her passing, and her husband - Terry
Switenky, a close friend of Staff - set up the Foundation in her memory.
It was the Dawne’s foundation that supported the creation of the Logan Boulet Humanitarian Award.
Logan was a registered organ donor and young defenceman on the Humboldt Broncos team, who
passed away following the 2018 Humboldt Bus Tragedy in Saskatchewan. His organs were donated so
that 6 others could live on – a story that inspired an estimated 150,000 others to become organ donors
in the following weeks, in what was called the "Logan Boulet Effect" across Canada.
Upon hearing these stories, the researchers said that the donors’ legacies were powerful and inspiring. "Hearing about the community and personal impact of these awards has been most meaningful to me"
said Dr. Siren, a former PhD alum. "Organ donation is such a personal choice, often following a loss of
life. If our research can help prolong that gift, while remaining respectful and responsible as possible to
the donor and their loved ones - that's incredibly important."
Staff affirmed the impact of leaving a legacy, whether through research or organ donation. “Terry
wanted to leave a legacy in the name of his wife, Dawne, and to sponsor the awards and researchers
who are part of this work,” he said. "For donors, what better way to help humanity than to give
something so personal to you?"
While the researchers anticipate that human clinical trials may still be several years away, they remain
optimistic about the work.
"As scientists, when we have a potential solution that could improve people's lives, it's up to us to
communicate how we can help," said Luo, a PhD Candidate. "It's very rewarding to see the impact our
science could have on changing medicine, and changing the future of medicine."
Read more about the research: Innovative coating for blood vessels reduces rejection of transplanted
Dr. Michael Moser is a tenured associate professor, academic transplant surgeon and academic
research scientist in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan associated with the University of Saskatchewan
and the Saskatchewan Health Authority. Dr. Moser has been a Fellow of the Royal College of
Physicians and Surgeons of Canada since 1999 and has been practicing surgery in Saskatchewan
since 2005.
He has dedicated his career to transplant and oncology patients. Dr. Moser has been invested
in the education process both in the undergraduate and postgraduate level and was the
University of Saskatchewan General Surgery Residency Program Director from 2007 to 2011.
Dr. Moser has numerous publications that aim to improve our knowledge of transplant and our
practices to improve transplant outcomes. He has been on numerous advisory committees
including Saskatchewan Organ Donor Awareness, The Canadian Donation and Transplant
Research Program, and the Saskatchewan Branch of the Kidney Foundation of Canada.
Dr. Moser has contributed to transplant outreach and public awareness programs into our
public-school board with the “Speaker’s Bureau” invited into various local schools to discuss
organ donation and kidney transplant, public assemblies in High School “One Life, Many Gifts”,
as well as numerous interviews with our local radio CKOM and television broadcasts with CTV,
Global and Shaw cable as well as assisting and providing details in a wonderful publication in
the Star Phoenix several year back authored by Bill Waiser accounting Saskatchewan’s rich
history and contributions in Canadian transplantation dating back to 1963. One current focus
of Dr. Moser’s is collaborating and striving to improve Canadian Indigenous organ donation and
transplantation. This is an area of Canadian Indigenous health that can benefit from the caring
and compassionate contributions from those like Dr. Moser.
Congratulations on receiving the 2022 Logan Boulet Humanitarian of the Year award
Learn more about our charitable organization and how it all got started.
Learn more about the problematic state of organ donations in Saskatchewan.
Learn how you can become an organ donor and help out those in need.