Calgarian awaiting kidney transplant urges considering organ donation as Green Shirt Day nears
Ahead of the eighth annual Green Shirt Day on Tuesday, Calgarians are invited to partake in a two-kilometre walk to raise awareness about organ and tissue donation.
Calgary husband and father Scott Clay has been in need of a kidney transplant since 2024, leading his wife Wendy, and their daughter Nicole to get involved with the cause.
“I mean there’s ups and downs, but for the most part, if you were to talk to him you’d never know there were any issues,” Wendy told CityNews.
Scott has had a tumultuous ride. He was in a life-changing motorcycle collision back in 2020, which led the doctors to discover that he had stage 4 kidney disease.
He says his daughter is compatible to donate her kidney, but there were some additional complications in the lead up to his transplant.
“I found out that I had cancer, so I had to deal with that. Had that dealt with so I’m fine, I’m cancer free, but you have to be cancer free for two years before they’ll even consider doing a transplant, so I’m just in that waiting period right now,” Scott said.
Green Shirt Day was created to pay respect to the lives lost in the Humboldt Broncos 2018 bus crash, and to honour the legacy of Logan Boulet, a member of the team who decided to become an organ donor – an act which saved six lives.
Now, families like the Clays can benefit from the community that Green Shirt Day has created.
“And all these people in green shirts they were there for hope and motion, and I just started to cry, because I felt, here’s our other family. Here’s people like us,” Wendy said.
Jill Goth with the Kidney Foundation of Canada breaks down the demand for transplants in the country.
“There are 4,000 people waiting for a life saving transplant, and 72 per cent of the people are waiting for a kidney, and we know that many of them are unfortunately going to pass away if they don’t receive a transplant,” she said.
The Clays are urging people to look into becoming an organ donour, adding that even if you haven’t officially signed up at a registry, you should tell your family your intentions.
This year’s Green Shirt Day parade is happening April 7.
Anyone looking to get involved can find more information on greendshirtday.ca, or through the Kidney Foundation of Canada.
Scott and Wendy Clay at their home in Calgary. (Joel Mendelson, CityNews)
