258 M. Coombs and M. Woods
clearly articulated. Further development is required to enable organ
donation and end-of-life care to become comfortable companions at
a time that is often uncomfortable and distressing for many. All end-
of-life trajectories start with the same ethical and clinical dilemma—of
how to identify the moment of death. They all end in the same place,
with questions of how best to respect and acknowledge the deceased. It
is the pathways in between that need greater acknowledgement in prac-
tice and in policy.
Notes
- Whānau is the Māori word for extended family.
- Anoxic/hypoxic brain damage is brain cell death resultant from no or
little oxygen supplied to the brain. This often occurs following cardiac
arrest. - Ischaemic injury is damage to tissues resultant from reduction in or lack
of blood supply. - Intensivist refers to a doctor who specialises in the care of the critically
ill, usually in intensive care. - Tangi is more formerly known as Tangihanga, and the Māori word for
funeral rites held on a Marae.
Acknowledgements We would like to thank the donor families for so
generously allowing the telling of their stories. Thanks are also extended to
Janice Langlands from Organ Donation New Zealand for facilitating and
gaining consent from the families. In addition, we thank Mrs Belinda Tuari-
Toma, Policy Analysis, State Sector Effectiveness, Te Puni Kōkiri Iwi: Ngati
Porou, Tuwharetoa and Te whānau Apanui for her advice on discussion of the
last case in this chapter.
References
Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society. (2013). The ANZICS
statement on death and organ donation. Edition 3.2. Australian and New
Zealand Intensive Care Society.
http://www.ebook3000.com