Iconic Sports Announcer Nick Charles Trusting Jesus in Final Days of Life

Teresa Neumann : Apr 8, 2011
Wayne Drash - CNN

"I can't believe I feel so good about the last week of my life, but I do." -Nick Charles

(Santa Fe, N.M.)—His career spanning 40 years, Nick Charles, 65—who grew up dirt poor in Chicago's inner-city—was CNN's first sports anchor. He was known for his Greek-American good-looks (People magazine once ranked him among the most handsome men in America), charisma and energy.

In 2009, Charles was diagnosed with incurable bladder cancer, and today—wasted from chemotherapy and a shadow of the man he was—he is trying to finish a video-blog for his 5-year-old daughter Giovanna, so that when he's gone, she can watch it and remember him.

In a CNN piece covering a conversation with Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Charles, the faith of the latter is prominent. Charles minces no words in listing the mistakes he's made—and regretted—in his life, and glorifies Christ in the midst of his troubles.

Twice divorced, Charles states that divorce is an ugly thing. "I caused a lot of pain. I ripped apart lives," he says. "If I have a regret, that's it. I love all of them. With my illness, they've [his children] offered me a massive amount of forgiveness."

The CNN report says he reads the Bible often, and quotes Charles as saying that his wife brought him "back to the Lord" in the 1990s. The report also notes that doctors plan to give him morphine to ease the pain of his final days on earth.

As a Christian, it says, "he struggled with that concept. He wanted to make sure he wasn't committing suicide." But, assured by doctors that the pain-killer was only to keep him comfortable until the end.

Said Charles, at that point, "Peace came over me. I can't believe I feel so good about the last week of my life, but I do."

As if the report (please follow the link below to read it in all it's fascinating, hardscrabble detail) wasn't poignant enough, Charles ended his conversation with Gupta by saying his ultimate message to his daughter Giovanna is that they will be together in Heaven forever, adding that he hopes his first interview when he gets to Heaven will be with Jesus.

His love and experience with the sport of boxing prompted him to conclude that when that day comes, "he'll dance around the ring, his head held high, a smile on his face."

"In the 12th round, somebody is going to raise my hand. I'm going to be victorious. I finally got my life right."