Paul Cressey, 80, served as a Counties Manukau District Health Board member for 12 years and dedicated his life to child cancer after his own son died of leukaemia.
The freak incident happened after Cressey had enjoyed lunch on Waiheke Island on Tuesday with close friends and his wife Sheryn, who he has been married to for 54 years.
His son, Mark Cressey, said doctors and nurses worked on his father for 13 hours.
"Not only did they allow us to have access beside him for that whole time, they never ever gave up and they did it so respectfully.
"The health professionals were just incredible."
In 1979 Paul Cressey's son, Carl, was diagnosed with leukaemia, which was the start of his 10-year association with the Child Cancer Foundation, including three years as chairman.
The family travelled to Australia in 1980 to get a bone-marrow transplant for Carl where they stayed in a Ronald McDonald House.
On his return to New Zealand, Cressey successfully set about getting Ronald McDonald Houses in this country.
A pharmacist by trade Cressey paid a locum to come in one day a week so he could focus on his charity work, unbeknown to his family.
In 2007 he was honoured for services to child cancer, being made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
Although a humble man to the end, he only agreed to accept it on behalf of the Foundation.
