'Act of grace': Bella Trezza's organs donated to three people

The family of Bella Trezza, the 17-year-old Babylon student who died following a car crash Saturday, will save the lives of three people after donating her organs, officials said.

Trezza died Wednesday night, police said, after the Kia SUV she was driving was struck by another Kia that ran a red light just after 1 a.m. Saturday near Great East Neck Road and Railroad Avenue in West Babylon.

The crash also killed the other driver, Michael Desmond, 33, of Lindenhurst, and a passenger in the SUV, Riley Goot, 18, of Babylon. Trezza’s brother Austin, 18, and two other teens in the SUV were seriously injured.

Trezza’s kidneys and liver were donated following an honor walk Thursday. She was surrounded by family and friends as she was taken to the operating room at Good Samaritan University Hospital in West Islip.

Her liver went to a man in his 60s living in New York City and her kidneys went to two women in their 30s in Maryland and Massachusetts, said Leonard Achan, president of LiveOnNY, the Long Island City-based nonprofit that matches donors with the federal organ transplant list.

"LiveOnNY teams managed Bella’s gifts of life for safe transport overnight to three recipients in New York City, Maryland, and Massachusetts," Achan said. “[They were] all saved by Bella’s act of grace and her family’s decision to say yes to donation.

"These three recipients and Bella will now live on. LiveOnNY is humbled to be the stewards of Bella’s precious gifts of life," he said.

Achan said Trezza’s mother was overcome with emotion when she was told of the organ donation. He repeated a message from her mother: "I want everyone to know what my daughter has done to save lives."

Trezza was picking up her brother and friends from a party and was heading home at the time of the crash. She was a senior at St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School in West Islip.

Austin Trezza recently graduated from West Babylon High School and was a volunteer firefighter for the West Babylon Fire Department. He has undergone multiple surgeries, and friends and family said he is headed toward recovery.

A fundraiser for the family has accumulated more than $200,000. The fire department is also holding several fundraisers for the family and other victims of the crash.

Austin Trezza had joined the department in May, West Babylon Fire Chief Steve Kamalic said Thursday. He described Austin as an eager firefighter working to finish his probation status.

"He's got a long road ahead of him. It's been a nightmare," Kamalic said. "People don't understand what these poor kids went through."

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.