Télévie, a French-language TV charity benefit for research to help fight cancer and leukaemia, raised €10,039,185 this year, according to the event's website. This is one of the largest amounts in the event’s history.
Since 1989, the yearly charity TV event has brought together one-off charity musical performances by famous French-speaking Belgian artists. This year, there were performances by Salvatore Adamo, Frédéric Francois, Pierre de Maere, and others.
Each year, the Télévie campaign sets challenges for Belgians to complete to help raise money for the Fund for Scientific Research (FRS/FNRS). This year, the TV marathon challenged Belgians to take part in cycling, running , climbing, yoga, jogging, and even motorbike challenges in order to raise money for charity.
The TV event also showed off Belgium’s “Superheroes”, individuals who have gone above and beyond to tackle adversity and to help others. “Extraordinary people”, the FRS calls them, “who impress in their everyday life, with their extraordinary courage, but also their modesty and discretion.”
In order to familiarise the public with the work of Belgian cancer research, Télévie organised a series of scientific commissions and seminars with leading researchers. According to RTL, the FRS will soon consider over 160 applications for grant funding for new research projects.
“I am currently testing new treatments with different drugs thanks to Télévie, who made it possible to have these new drugs in the laboratory,” researcher Alice Collignon told RTL.
The average survival rate from breast cancer in Belgium is around 80%. It is hoped that with greater funding, researchers will be able to further increase this statistic.
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Since 1989, the annual event has raised over €200 million on behalf of cancer research, with over 80,000 donors, 749 events, 450 volunteers, and 211 researchers taking part. This was the first time in the history of the event that two Télévie charity events happened within one year.
“It’s a superb edition which ended this evening, 7 months after the previous one, which is a first in the history of Télévie, which is usually held once a year. The mobilisation of people, talents, and energies is an extraordinary thing,” said Phillipe Delusinne, CEO of RTL Belgium.
