A Melbourne teenager lost his life when he was hit by a car at Christmas - but his death saved three others.

Andrew, 17, died as he lived - generously.

He was killed by a car, but because he was an organ donor, his heart, liver and kidney saved three lives.

His parents, Lynne and Laurie, said organ donation had helped make a positive out of a tragedy. 'It has got us through knowing that his organs have helped people,' Lynne said.

Andrew was a friendly teenager who lived life to the full, and his generosity lives on through his organ donation.

Years before, the family had discussed organ donation with Andrew and his younger brother, Shaun.

'We talked about it at dinner time, and Andrew, being the person he was, said 'yep',' Lynne said.

The family said often people worried that the bodies of organ donors would not be treated with respect, but Andrew was operated on just as if he was a living patient, and his funeral had an open casket.

Laurie also said that more people were eligible for donation than they realised. The family wants to encourage all people to consider organ and tissue donation and to talk about it with their families.