Widow Of LI Fire Chief Encourages Suffolk Residents To Donate Organs

HAUPPAUGE, NY — The widow of a recently fallen FDNY officer, whose donations saved the lives of five people, joined local officials and recipients Tuesday to encourage Suffolk County residents to register as organ donors.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone joined Kristina Moon, widow of FDNY firefighter William "Billy" Moon, and Christian Siems, a transplant recipient, on National Donor Day in Hauppauge.

While enrollment has improved in recent years, the county said a critical gap remains between the number of life-saving organs needed and the number of organs donated.

"Just one individual can save eight lives with organ donation, and heal the lives of up to 75 people with tissue donation," Bellone said.

Nearly 575,000 Suffolk County residents are currently registered organ donors, but the county hopes to increase that number.

More than 100,000 people in the United States need lifesaving transplants, and a new name is added to the registry every 10 minutes. More than 9,000 New Yorkers are in need of a lifesaving transplant, with kidneys being the most common organ needed, according to Bellone.

People wait between five and seven years to receive an organ they need, and each year, roughly 17 Americans die each day waiting for an organ transplant, Bellone said.

"It's a reminder to all of us you can save a life through organ donation," Bellone said. "The best way to make a difference is to sign up for organ donation."

Bellone honored Moon, who died from his injuries after falling 20 feet while preparing for a drill.

He donated his organs to five people who were on the transplant waiting list, including fellow New York City firefighters, Bellone said. He addressed Moon's wife, Kristina.

"Kristina, we can not thank you enough for this gift of life, and also for your advocacy for organ donation, which will undoubtedly continue William's legacy of saving lives," he said.

Once she knew Moon would not survive his injuries, Kristina took the steps to donate his organs, because he had made all the "hard decisions" already.

"I found peace in knowing Billy would live on," she said. "I was proud to honor his wishes and proud my kids would grow up knowing the type of hero their dad was. I also learned that a recipient of my husband's organs can be a registered donor and able to donate. It is an infinite lifecycle, and it is this impact that has made Billy our forever hero."

She stressed the importance of having serious conversations before a tragedy occurs, so that no time is wasted when saving a life.

"Most donors donate because their family agrees. But what if they're not in the right state of mind?" she said. "What if they think their loved one wouldn't agree, when in fact, it was actually the opposite? If we want to improve those numbers, we can't keep doing the same thing. "

Bellone also recognized FDNY firefighter Jesse Gerhard, 33, of Long Beach, who died on duty a day after battling a devastating blaze in February 2022. Gerhard's heart and organs could not be donated, but his tissue could.

"It is these donations and these individuals who show us how, even in the most tragic of circumstances, you can change the lives of many people and many families," Bellone said of the late firefighters.

Angel Salas, a 9-year-old Long Island boy who died in a drunken driving crash on the Long Island Expressway in August 2022, saved three lives with his organ donation, a LiveOnNY spokesman said.

"Angel Salas, a precious 9-year-old New Yorker who tragically lost his life after an alleged drunk driver hit the car he was in, became an organ donor hero after his family generously gave the gift of life," said Leonard Achan, LiveOnNY president and CEO.

Tyler Phillips, a boy struck and killed in a Coram hit-and-run in October, also donated his organs. In a Facebook post, Phillips' mother described him as a "hero" who pushed his sister out of the path of the oncoming car.

The H. Lee Dennison Building was illuminated blue to raise awareness of the need for donors and to encourage residents to enroll as donors.

Patch's Peggy Spellman Hoey contributed to this report.