10 Organ Donation Practices and End-of-life Care ... 253a relational and caring ethic (Woods 2012 ). Thus, by adjusting one’s
moral gaze to the particulars of a given organ donor situation, it is pos-
sible to balance the welfare of the individual and their family and the
allocation of scarce resources.
CASE 3: Clifford’s Story
The final story in this chapter is from a Māori donor family and
speaks to the cultural values, beliefs, and challenges in Aotearoa/New
Zealand. Clifford Tuhi Thompson always wanted to help others, and
it was for this reason that his mother Victoria agreed to organ dona-
tion after Clifford, aged 36, tragically sustained a non-survivable brain
injury following a bicycle accident. He was taken to hospital where
he was ventilated and admitted to the intensive care unit. This is
Victoria’s story:
The Intensivist^4 came in. When he asked if we would consider organ
donation, there was no doubt in my mind. It would be terrible if his per-
fectly good organs were not used to help the lives of other people. We
discussed organ donation as a family and it was agreed.
[Afterwards] we had Clifford at home (the Marae) for one night and the
wharenui (meeting house) was full of people telling stories about him.
Everyone was laughing. An older woman stood up and said “I think we
should give Clifford a standing ovation because of the gift of organs he
has given to help others.” I know he would have been so pleased when
they gave him a standing ovation.
Victoria says that in this poignant action, there was a lessening of the
reservations surrounding organ donation. There wasn’t the aversion in
the room as there sometimes can be in Maori culture. And this is why
Victoria wants to tell her story - she wants to help raise awareness of
organ donation, particularly within her own culture. “It is about promot-
ing it to our people.”[Post note: Clifford’s heart and liver were donated]