Former U.S. Senator Ben Sasse is opening up his home - and his final chapter - to CNN cameras in a new one-hour special premiering this Sunday, July 26. Titled "Ben Sasse Is Going Home: Lessons on Life and Death," the special airs at 8 p.m. ET/PT as part of CNN's The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper series.
The special is reported by Jake Tapper, who has known and interviewed Sasse for more than a decade. Tapper traveled to Sasse's home state of Nebraska to spend time with the former senator and his family as they navigate his terminal pancreatic cancer diagnosis together - including a stop at the College World Series in Omaha, where Tapper joined Sasse and his son, Breck.
"We'll all face our own mortality one day, but most of us will never do it as publicly and openly as Ben Sasse," Tapper said in a statement. He added that witnessing Sasse "assign a higher meaning to it all" amid immense physical pain left a deep impact on him.
Throughout the hour, Sasse reflects candidly on the experimental treatment that has extended his life, along with the legacy he hopes to leave behind - themes he has returned to again and again since revealing his diagnosis in December. Sasse, a longtime voice associated with Reformed theology, has consistently framed his illness through the lens of God's providence and the hope of the Gospel in prior interviews, including his emotional conversation on Ash Wednesday and his widely shared discussion on the "Interesting Times" podcast.
The special will be available to stream the day after its premiere on CNN.com and the CNN app for subscribers.
Sasse's openness throughout his diagnosis has resonated widely with Christians following his journey, many of whom continue praying for him and his family as he approaches what he has called "going home."
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