Screening and Discussion of "The Last Ecstatic Days"
A Film about a Man with Glioblastoma and his Wish to Die in Community
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Ethan Sisser, a young man with terminal brain cancer, began live streaming his death journey on social media, and thousands of people around the world joined to celebrate his courage. Still, Ethan envisioned more – to teach the world how to die without fear. To do that, he needed to film his death. Honoring Ethan's wish, his doctor Aditi Sethi transported him to an idyllic house in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, North Carolina. What unfolded is a story rarely glimpsed: how a community of strangers, friends and loved ones helped a young man with grace. A sensory immersion into leaving the body, "The Last Ecstatic Days" reveals a man who will not let us forget him – even after he takes his final breath.
- The Boston Globe called the film a “…courageous end-of-life chronicle, which overflows with compassion and shows us how to live mindfully while embracing curiosity about what lies beyond.”
- Author Michael Pollan said, “So moving and astonishing. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
- Oscar-winning screenwriter David Seidler said: "After ten minutes I was ready to walk over broken glass to help this film."
- Author Leonard Pickard wrote, “As no other film has, The Last Ecstatic Days shows us a more noble way of dying.”
The film will be followed by a discussion about community end of life care, spirituality and medicine with:
- Scott Kirschenbaum, Director, YC '03
- Maytal Saltiel, Yale University Chaplain
- Dr. Henry S. Park, MD, MPH: Associate Professor of Therapeutic Radiotherapy at Yale Medical School and Oncologist at the Yale Cancer Center & Brain Tumor Center.
- Dr. Laura Morrison, MD, FAAHPM, FACP: Associate Professor of Geriatric Medicine and Director of Yale Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship
Moderated by: Brit Fleck, Impact Producer, YSPH '25
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Related Media
Speakers
- Scott KirschenbaumDirector, The Last Ecstatic Days, YC '03
- Brit FleckImpact Producer, YSPH '25