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Dying to Live - A Journey Into A Man's Open Heart (trailer)

Posted by Greg Schneider on July 24, 2008 at 8:08am
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Tags: lung, mate, soul, cancer, midlife
Documentary filmmaker Ben Mittleman turns the camera on himself when confronted with the same open-heart surgery that derailed his father's life. A quest for truth, Dying to Live, gives public exposure to his own fears about mortality. In the same year Mittleman's wife Valerie and mother Anne both struggle with their own life threatening illnesses. It's these affairs of his heart that contain the soul of Dying to Live. A love letter to Valerie, Dying to Live reveals the raw realities of Mittleman's fight to survive and heal the women who love him. With a rare humor and spirit, an ordinary man struggles deeper into adulthood. This film premiered March 13, 2008 at the Music Hall 3 theater in Beverly Hills.

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  • Greg Schneider July 24, 2008 at 8:35am
    My previous comment was made from the context of reflecting on my own life and experience. I have learned so much from my friend Frank over the years. He has taught me to go inward and reflect in the deepest ways and in the deepest places. Our teachers may also teach indirectly by setting the example through the way that they live. Frank is an individual that has been so gracious and given unconditional love to so many in this world.

    As we begin to delve deeper into ourselves through mindful contemplation, we find new ways to see things. Frank has allowed me to see a new way of looking at my heart and is now prompting me to explore how the love flows to and from this most beautiful organ in my body.

    Greg
  • Greg Schneider July 24, 2008 at 8:18am
    [July 24, 2008] My experience over the weekend witnessing the heart attack of my dear friend, Frank Ostaseski, has me contemplating the significance of the heart in alerting us to the way we are living, the way we are giving and receiving love from all of those around us.

    What does your heart tell you about the way you are serving the dying and their families?

    Are there parallels to blockages of the heart and our willingness to give and receive love?

    Do you have a story?

    Greg
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