Charles Bietry contributed much to sports by connecting the field to television in France; however, his terminal condition has led him to decide to end his life as part of an elaborate personal accident.
The journalist worked at Agence France Press before becoming the head of sports at Canal+. His career evolved with the influence of the TF1 network, France Television, L’Equipe TV, and beIN Sports.
In an interview with L’Equipe, Charles Bietry detailed his plans to conduct a personal accident and his choice of assisted suicide due to his illness. The journalist suffers from Charcot’s disease, which worsens yearly.
Charles Biétry, grande figure de la télévision et ami de l’émission a annoncé être atteint de la maladie de Charcot. En cette période de débats sur la fin de vie, il a souhaité qu’on lise l’extrait de sa tribune parue dans l’Équipe dans l’émission de ce soir. pic.twitter.com/5bIANIuPes
— Julien Bellver (@julienbellver) April 9, 2024
Further, the journalist has plans to conduct the procedure in Switzerland and took the matter into his own hands after an emotional agreement with his wife and children. Bietry doesn’t want to burden his family with medical expenses, knowing there is no cure for his condition.
Talking about the difficult situation, Bietry added, “I don’t want to be hooked up to a machine to breathe when there’s nothing left, no future. I don’t want to suffer and especially make my family suffer.“
Initially, the disease hampers the patient’s lower limbs and gradually moves towards their upper limbs, throat, and larynx. Bietry detailed that he had trouble swallowing food and knew that the next attack would be towards his lungs.
The 80-year-old mentioned that he had been covering important French sports despite concerns from his doctors. Moreover, Bietry added that the excitement of the sport had allowed him to resist the disease for a while.
Charles Bietry has over 50 years of experience in sports media and wants to leave a good legacy!
After his first diagnosis, Bietry didn’t plan to retire early and wanted to make the most of his time alive, knowing that life expectancy typically doesn’t exceed three to five years after the diagnosis.
Despite the seriousness of his condition, the journalist wanted to clarify his situation with his fans and stated, “Since I was doing everything to rebuild muscles that were leaving, the disease took a while to become apparent. After a while, the diagnosis became clear.“
Bietry added that he had witnessed one of his comedian friends pass away from a similar condition at a young age. Similarly, the journalist doesn’t like to think much of the unfortunate turn of events and enjoys football on Sundays with his family.
Aujourd’hui c’est la Saint Charles, la date anniversaire de la création de Canal+ et la veille des 80 ans de ce grand monsieur du journalisme et de la télévision. Aujourd’hui, Charles Biétry a été décoré officier de la Légion d’honneur chez lui à Carnac. pic.twitter.com/KN9lvxIpjY
— Sacha Nokovitch (@SachaNoko) November 4, 2023
Further, he explained that he doesn’t want to go away when the condition wrings the life out of him. Instead, Bietry plans to leave behind an excellent example for his children and young people who have followed him throughout his journey.
Regardless, Bietry realized he could not do everything easily, as he would find his final moments in Switzerland painful. The journalist talked about his fears, “When someone hands you the pill and tells you that two minutes later, you’ll be gone, it’s not so simple.“
Looking back at his career, he has been a municipal councilor of Carnac since 2014 and began his professional journey as a reporter and then as a senior reporter for AFP. He gained significant popularity for covering the Munich Olympics in 1972.
Bietry has earned national distinctions for his works, including the titles of Knight of the Legion of Honor and Officer of the Legion of Honor. The Sports Writers’ Association awarded him the Career Award for his contribution to sports coverage.
Additional Information
- Charles Bietry hasn’t revealed the exact date of his final trip to Switzerland. However, the journalist mentioned that he would be accompanied by two of his family members to assist him during the procedures.
- The journalist’s decision had been surrounded by controversy as assisted procedures haven’t been legalized in many European countries, including France. According to sources, organizations charge over $7,980 for preparation and assistance.
