BAY SHORE, N.Y. (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) -- The lungs of a 20-year veteran FDNY firefighter who died in a tragic accident at his Brooklyn firehouse this month were donated to a 9/11 first responder, officials said at his Long Island funeral Thursday.
Firefighter William P. Moon II suffered a fatal head injury on Dec. 12, when he fell 20 feet inside FDNY Rescue Company 2 in Brownsville while preparing for a drill, officials said. He was 47.
Hundreds of firefighters joined family and friends for Moon's funeral in Bay Shore, where he was remembered as an “incredibly dedicated husband, father, son, brother and friend.”
Moon was “dedicated to ensuring he could give back after he was gone through organ donation,” FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said in her eulogy.
Moon saved five lives through organ donation, giving his heart, liver, kidneys and lungs. Two of those recipients were FDNY members, officials said, including former Lt. Terrence Jordan, who responded to the World Trade Center on 9/11.
“Billy's story isn't ending today,” Kavanagh said. “It's a journey, and one that continues. Billy began his long career at the FDNY more than 20 years ago, just a year after 9/11. And last week, after his accident, he gave his lungs to a retired firefighter and a 9/11 first responder, Terrence Jordan.”
“Terrence nearly gave his life to save others on 9/11, and his response that day left him tethered to an oxygen tank,” the commissioner continued. “Billy's lungs have literally breathed life into Terrence Jordan, and made him part of Terrence's story and the story of all of those who Terrence rescued that day at the towers.”
Moon joined the FDNY in May 2002, just eight months after the 9/11 terrorist attacks killed 343 in the department. Many more first responders have fallen ill or died of 9/11-related illnesses in the 21 years since.
Kavanagh said Moon “fundamentally understood that he was part of something larger than himself.” He was a strong believer in organ donation and made sure his fellow firefighters were signed up to be one too, she said.
“In the tradition of the FDNY, Billy would not simply suggest you should become an organ donor,” Kavanagh said. “He would demand at the kitchen table that his coworkers pull out their driver's license and prove to him that they had the small heart under their photo that indicated they'd signed up to be a donor.”
In his eulogy, Mayor Eric Adams said Moon “was a hero, not only in life” for his 20 years of public service and organ donation.
“Just to think as he transitioned and donated his organs to others,” the mayor said. “He's a hero in death. And that's a real reflection of who he is as a person.”
In his eulogy, FDNY Lt. James Keane urged others to become organ donors too.
“For those who knew Billy, he would say he never lost a fight. He didn't lose this fight because he chose to give the gift of life,” Keane said. “So today I call on you all in attendance here or watching from home. Become an organ donor. Tell your family. Change your license. It's what Billy did, and it's what he would want us to do, so others may live.”
Related
Related
Related
