Son was fighting for life after freak accident — then mom made a powerful decision, losing him but saving many other lives

Although it might never be easy to cope with the loss of a loved one, people find different ways to honor their memory. A family who lost their 10-year-old kid in a freak accident did the same when they decided to donate his organs and save people's lives. There were several difficult decisions to be made for the family in the process, but they believed it was the right thing to do to celebrate their generous child, per 9 News.

The boy, Riley Moon, was 10 and a half years old at the time of his death and lived in Canberra, Australia, with his family. He was the middle child with a 16 months older sister and a 23 months younger brother. He was "always smoothing the waters," according to his mom, Joanna Prezzi. The boy was pretty independent and loved taking their dog, Ziggy, for morning walks around their neighborhood. On the night of his accident, the boy took his scooter to a friend's house to play football. He was super excited to get back home to watch a show on TV that Friday and in his rush, he collided with a car. The boy had suffered severe head trauma even after wearing a helmet and there wasn't much hope to save his life. His mom knew about that the moment she talked to the paramedics after reaching the hospital.

Joanna and her husband, Geoff, had to make some difficult decisions after that and decided that they would donate their son's organs. They had been big propagators of organ donation themselves and felt that their kind son would have wanted the same. The mom felt that it also made her son's death "seem a little less worthless…a bit less pointless." The surgery was delayed because of the bad weather, as the helicopter couldn't take off the ground. But soon enough, it happened and the organs from the boy ended up saving three people's lives. The mom explained that it was a personal decision and has helped the family cope with the grief of losing Riley. "It gives us a little bit of hope knowing our strong, beautiful boy lives through the lives of others."

A child received Riley's heart, another one received his liver, while an adult man received a kidney and a pancreas. Before his funeral, the boy's friends, teachers, scouting mates and more gathered to celebrate his life at the school. "I wanted the kids to know that grieving doesn’t have to be sobbing uncontrollably in your room alone. It can be shared and you can support each other," his mom explained. The memorial service raised $600, which was donated to the "Love Your Sister" campaign by the family. The campaign was started by Gold Logie winner Samuel Johnson for his sister Connie, who died of breast cancer. In her letter to Johnson, Prezzi wrote, "It is very sad for our family, but we know we will make it through this devastating loss."

Mr. Johnson applauded the boy's brave parents and siblings, according to news.com.au. "They will miss your jokes terribly. Go well, young man," he added. "At his school, Riley’s family joined the students to draw this beautiful 'R' and they asked students to bring a gold coin along for Love Your Sister." Johnson went on, "Thank you to all for choosing to make the most out of the worst. I’m so sorry for Riley’s parents, his sister and brother, his family, friends, schoolmates and teachers. May there be a brighter day for you all on the horizon."