Ethan Sisser, a young man with terminal brain cancer, sits alone in his hospital room. When he starts livestreaming his death journey on social media, thousands of people around the world join to celebrate his courage. Still, Ethan envisions more – to teach the world how to die without fear. To do that, he needs to film his death.
Honoring Ethan's wish, his doctor and closest loved ones transport him to an idyllic house in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, North Carolina.
What unfolds next is a story rarely glimpsed: how a community of strangers helps a young man die 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’s taken his final breath.
Ethan Sisser, a vital and dedicated yogi, avid dancer and truth seeker discovered he had a glioblastoma brain tumor in his mid thirties.
After two years of natural therapies, multiple rounds of chemo, and two botched head surgeries, the pain was overwhelming, and the tumors were starting to paralyze him. Ethan had prayed for his illness to be a miracle in some form or fashion, whether it was through healing and staying alive, or a conscious and community centered approach to his death. This movie is the expression of the latter. The last two weeks of his life were professionally filmed, and have become a beacon of hope for millions of people to embrace death as an embodied, empowered and ecstatic experience.
Ethans dying experience was a gift to the world, and was especially transforming for those present with him during his final days. The Asheville, NC community came together to create an interfaith, peaceful presence to tend to Ethan and his caregivers. His mother, Linda, was there the entire time taking it all in.
One of his best friends, Shellie, was by his side, making sure he was able to express his journey through his still growing social media, and over the phone with those he wanted to say goodbye to. Throughout this experience his doctor, Aditi, was very moved by Ethan. This prompted a massive shift in her life. She resigned from her position as hospice director, and after his passing and the release of this film she was able to purchase a beautiful property in Black Mountain to create the Emberlight Center for Conscious Living and Dying. It is now a community hub, a training ground for direct care for dying, and a gorgeous place for families to exist together while a loved one is passing away.
Ethan’s life and death made a huge impact on many people, and the ripples continue to inspire. This movie is available for streaming on most major streaming networks.
"This is one of the most powerful documentaries I've ever witnessed. The courage and bravery of Ethan Sisser changed me forever. This is a must-watch for all humans."
"This is not a 'movie.' This is a powerfully real capture of someone dying with grace, and I have never been the same since witnessing this incredible gift this man has shared with all of us," says Olivia Pool, Creator of the Evolve Academy of Conscious Learning.
After watching the documentary, there will be dedicated time and space for those who want to gather over tea and conscious conversation about the beautiful and inevitable experience of dying.
This will be held in a sacred container at the Evolve Academy of Conscious Learning in West Ashley, Charleston, SC.