DIJON - A 52-YEAR-OLD French mother of three, disfigured by a rare incurable disease, launched on Tuesday an impassioned appeal to the media and President Nicolas Sarkozy seeking the right to euthanasia.

Ms Chantal Sebire, a former school teacher, learnt in 2002 that she had developed an esthesioneuroblastoma, an uncommon malignant tumour in the nasal cavity, which has led to 'atrocious' suffering, according to her.

'In 2000, I lost the sense of smell and taste ... and I lost my sight in October 2007,' she said.

'One would not allow an animal to go through what I have endured,' she said in a plea aired on France 2 television and urged President Nicolas Sarkozy to pay heed to her request.

Ms Sebire pleaded for the right to 'depart peacefully,' saying only two neurosurgeons had agreed to see her and then told her that the rare condition was incurable.

Only 200 cases of the disease have been recorded worldwide in two decades, she said.

French law does not allow for euthanasia. -- AFP