Kendra Fortin: The Love that Blossomed a Movement

Bemidji State defender Kendra Fortin’s life changed forever in the summer of 2021. It was still in the midst of the Covid pandemic and Fortin had accomplished a great achievement just days prior: making Canada’s Under-18 team. She was sound asleep around 3 AM on one June morning when she was awakened suddenly by her father, Cory. At first she was confused; her dad mentioned Toronto to her as she was waking up and she thought maybe he’d found some ice for her to skate on. Instead, the news was better than she could have imagined. After many grueling years waiting for a kidney transplant as he battled end-stage renal failure, Cory Fortin finally had a donor.

Fortin and the rest of her family sent dad off for his procedure and her father is still here today.

Calling it a whirlwind week might be an understatement.

“It's two different special moments that are very unforgettable,” Fortin told The Ice Garden.

It was her father’s journey that inspired Fortin to begin raising awareness for organ donation. It began in her hometown of Thunder Bay, Ontario, and made its way to the Bemidji community when she started at BSU. The 22-year-old is a first-time finalist for the Hockey Humanitarian Award and her love for her family and helping others has reached far and wide throughout the hockey world.

Fortin was nine years old when her dad was diagnosed with end-stage kidney failure and given the news he needed a transplant to live. She was 12 years old when her dad began peritoneal dialysis at the same time Fortin and her brother, Zach, were traveling for hockey. Her dad was able to travel with them because of the dialysis he was receiving. As time went o,n though, Fortin noticed how the treatment was taking a toll on her father, and on the family as well. 

“I personally saw as I was growing up how sick my dad really was, and I think it was the start of Covid when I saw it taking a toll on not only my dad but also my mom, my brother and myself,” Fortin recalled. “We are such a close family and I couldn't even imagine living without my dad not only as a family but also as a hockey player. [He] and my brother have been my main inspiration to play hockey. Seeing all these academic and athletic achievements that I've had, I don't think I could have done it without my dad.”

In 2020, Fortin sprung into action. She began “Kidney for Cory” to find him a donor. After consulting with her dad and his nurses, she made a website and an Instagram account and shared his story. Fortin called it an "adrenaline rush" when she found her post had been shared over 1000 times overnight on social media in the Thunder Bay community. That feeling led her to continue her efforts because she saw how something as small as sharing a post on the internet could reach so many people. 

The shares and awareness led to Cory Fortin receiving a kidney transplant in 2021, just months before Kendra began her collegiate career at Bemidji State. After the transplant, Fortin could have moved on with her dad happy and healthy again. But she knew there was more to offer, and she set out to make an impact when she began playing at BSU. 

“I think that's what's really driven me to continue this. Now it's not even about my dad or my family: it's about so many other families and the experiences that we've experienced watching my dad literally be rejuvenated as a person and as a dad, as a business owner,” Fortin said.  “That stuff keeps me going.”

The Bemidji community embraced Fortin’s efforts to raise awareness about organ donation, just like the Thunder Bay community had the year before. While at BSU, Fortin organized the Organ Donation Awareness weekend during both men’s and women’s hockey games. She has also created informational pamphlets, t-shirts, and donor bracelets to be given out to everyone in and around the Bemidji community. 

Her ability to connect with those around her grew with the help of BSU’s Associate Director of Athletics for Media and External Relations, Tyler Christiansen, and Director of Athletics, Britt Lauritsen, who have both made a push to support the school’s athletes. Her teammates have also lent a hand to help her build the platform to share her desire to raise awareness. 

Fortin is quick to mention her efforts are not individual but part of a larger team effort within the university and the people in the city as well. Their enthusiasm for her cause means a lot to her. 

“I didn't have 100 points in my career, but I think it's something so much more important – the community that I've built here and what I'm leaving behind and what I'll continue to come back to,” Fortin said. “[It] all ties into each other. I wouldn't be able to do this without the hockey aspect of things, because I've built this family within the Sanford Center. I'm forever grateful for these recognitions, but also, I wouldn't be able to do it without my teammates and my community.”

Fortin is the first member of the men’s or women’s hockey team to be named a finalist for the Hockey Humanitarian Award. She knows that though her time at Bemidji is coming to an end, her outreach will continue to live on. She’s finishing up her nursing degree, an ode to the nurses who helped her dad throughout the years he was battling his disease. She expressed her excitement to continue helping others, whether as a nurse or as someone who will continue to raise awareness. She’s appreciative of the nomination and knows it will carry so many benefits whether she wins or not. 

“It is a very touching and humbling feeling to be recognized on a national stage for it. It pushes me even more to continue to come back and keep raising awareness and bringing it back to Thunder Bay.” Fortin said. “The last time I was at home, I was 17 years old. Now that I have all this experience, this knowledge, this support, being able to go back into Thunder Bay and be able to do this while also being a registered nurse is a super comforting feeling.”

What began as devastating news to a nine-year-old daughter has blossomed into a far-reaching effort to raise organ donation awareness and to help others in need. It’s something that Fortin finds rewarding. 

“That's what's so incredible about awareness is you can never raise too much. The more you can do [it], the more you can get out there, the more people's lives it will save.”

The 2025 Hockey Humanitarian Award is celebrating its 30th season this year. For the first time in its history, four of the five finalists are women. This year’s recipient will be announced on Friday, Apr. 11, during the NCAA Men's Frozen Four weekend. This story is part of a series highlighting those four finalists. To learn more about organ donation in the United States, head to organdonor.gov, and in Canada, head to beadonor.ca.