Family of Billy Moon, fallen FDNY firefighter from Islip, meets recipient of his donated heart

In a heartbeat, Richard Grehl became part of firefighter Billy Moon's family.

Moon's son, Colin, heard the beat of his father's heart within Grehl Thursday when he came with a stethoscope, and his mother, Kristina, to the offices of LiveOnNY, a nonprofit that matches donors with the federal organ transplant list. 

There, the Moons met Grehl for the first time. After Colin listened to the heartbeat, he began crying in his mother's arms. The 8-year-old later said at first it was beating too calmly, but as it picked up, he knew it was from his dad. 

"When I heard his heart, it feels like when I would take naps right next to my dad," Colin said. "And it feels like I was right next to him because when I was doing it, I could hear his heartbeat." 

Moon, 47, an Islip and FDNY firefighter, suffered a fatal fall of about 20 feet while preparing for a training drill at his Brooklyn firehouse Dec. 12. Grehl, 63, of the upstate village of Suffern, received Moon's heart eight days later.

Grehl, a grandfather of three and retired executive for Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant, Con Edison, the Port Authority and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, didn't get confirmation that it was Moon's heart he had received until Thursday.

"I'm just so grateful. If this didn't happen, I wouldn't be here," Grehl told Kristina Moon, who attended with Colin and his sister, Brianne, 11. "Your husband had a very strong heart."

"He had a very big heart," Moon replied. "He had a lot of feelings." 

Moon's mother, Patty, then used a stethoscope with a microphone to record the heartbeat. His children said they planned to use the recording to implant it in stuffed animals from Build-A-Bear so they could always have it nearby.

Moon's family said that long before he died he was a vocal advocate for organ donation, and Moon's organs went to save the lives of four people in addition to Grehl.

Moon’s liver was donated to retired FDNY Capt. Patrick Reynolds, 63, of East Northport, and his lungs were donated to retired FDNY Lt. Terrance Jordan of Floral Park. They are both 9/11 first responders.

His kidneys were donated to an anonymous recipient out of state, who has written a letter to the Moon family, but they have not yet met. 

Kristina Moon said she considers each of the recipients to be family. She said she texts with Reynolds and Jordan regularly, and she just ran the Tunnel to Towers 5k with Jordan, less than 11 months since the transplant.

She said it's hard to believe it's almost been a year since she lost her husband. Brianne said eight months ago that she wanted to meet the recipient of her father’s heart. 

"Billy was a very passionate person and I feel like those passions came from his heart," Moon said. "So just to hear it again is really, really amazing …

"It's almost like when you hear your baby's heartbeat for the first time. Hearing his heartbeat again is really emotional." 

Grehl had only been on the transplant list for 10 days when he got the call that a heart was available. He had suffered three heart attacks within about 12 years, with the latest and most severe Nov. 4 before he was added to the transplant list.

He worried that at 6-feet-3-inches tall, finding a heart match would be difficult, until he got a call that a heart from a 47-year-old man who was 6-4 was available. 

"I was told it was a perfect heart," Grehl said choking back tears. "And it really is. It's still perfect. And I'll take good care of it.“

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.