A death sentence no doubt provokes many reactions, and laughter is normally not one of them!

When comedian Steve Mazan was first diagnosed with cancer and told he could be dead in five years, he didn’t find it very funny. But eventually, inoperable liver cancer gave Mazan something better than a fit of the giggles – it gave him a reason to live. He had dreamed of being on The Late Show with David Letterman since he was a kid, but after his diagnosis, the quest was number one on his bucket list. How he lived the dream is chronicled in the new documentary Dying to do Letterman.

The film premieres in Chicago Friday, June 17, as part of the TBS Just For Laughs Chicago comedy fest. But first, Mazan stopped by Eight Forty-Eight to discuss his journey.

Spoiler-Edition Web Extra:
Did Steve Mazan ever achieve his dream of making it on The Late Show With David Letterman, or is he still in pursuit of it? To find out, listen to more of Alison Cuddy’s conversation with Mazan.