Model and content creator Ali Tate Cutler has gotten candid about what it means to pass on, letting her more than 32,000 TikTok followers in on her final moments with her grandmother, who opted for MAID (medical aid in dying) after receiving a terminal diagnosis.


“What are your thoughts as you move closer to the date?” she asked her grandmother in a Q and A video shared to her socials.


“It’s like the light at the end of the tunnel,” her “bubbie” quipped, a sentiment she reiterated throughout the clip, citing her autonomy as why she’s “looking forward to” no longer “being dependent” and without control in a reply to a later question.




“When I’ll be ready I know,” she responded when asked how often she thinks about her choice.


“I’ve always made my own decisions for myself in living and I trust I will in death,” she continued. “I do believe my husband is there saying ‘It’s about time.’”


Alongside evidently striking a chord with Cutler’s 255,000 Instagram followers, Cutler elaborated on how these poignant answers – and her grandma’s experience as a whole – helped changed her perspective on death.


“TBH, I was very resistant to euthanasia before she told me her decision,” Cutler captioned the above clip on Instagram, noting that prior to her grandmother’s situation,  the practice “felt unethical to me.”


“But I have had my mind changed after hearing her reasons and I’m so happy that she has the option available in Canada,” she continued. “How to live well and die well are codes, and she has given me knowledge on both.”


Beyond these existential elements, Cutler also made a point of showing some of their happier final moments together as grandmother and granddaughter.


@alitatecutler I have so many emotions right now but all im focused on is making this the most memorable week for her #euthanasia #ondying #lastsupper #finalfarewell #grandma ♬ multiverse - Maya Manuela


“My grandmother has chosen Euthanasia for her terminal diagnosis, so this is the last time I can take her out to dinner,” she wrote alongside a clip of her and her grandmother appearing all smiles before and after getting ready for their final meal together.


Amassing more than 1.3 million views – the most of her several clips depicting the duo’s last days together – Cutler’s video, and her series as a whole, sparked several important discussions online, namely, the role posting on social media can play in memorializing a loved one.


Though some found her approach distasteful – “Y’all there is an Instagram influencer making cutesy videos about her grandma choosing MAiD (assisted suicide). I might throw my phone out the window.”



“I think this is a valid thing to document (helps destigmatize the option and have the last few moments be happy and purposeful as intended),” wrote @BuzzfeedJenny alongside viral screengrabs of the pair.  “I highly doubt people would be nearly as upset if these were two men.”


Meanwhile, Ashley Reese, who lost her husband to cancer last year, didn’t mince words when it came to defending Cutler.


“This is the type of dumb shit people who haven’t had to be a caregiver for someone with terminal cancer would say,” she mused. “There is nothing wrong with this video.”


Despite this debate, one thing is certain – we should all hold our loved ones a little closer tonight.