The Last Chapter

Charlie Roome

October 24, 2019

While his story started in a small Missouri town, Charlie Roome spent his years teaching across the Midwest, raising a family of his own, and traveling around the globe. Charlie saw a lot of this world before settling in Washington state. When he finally sought help for the pain in his back and doctors discovered his spinal cancer Charlie’s adventuring was cut short.

As the radiation treatments began, Charlie’s pain soon became unbearable. He knew continuing treatment wasn’t the right choice for him, so he started looking for other options. That’s when he found End of Life Washington and connected with one of their volunteers, Betty, who helped him understand all his end-of-life options, including Death with Dignity.

“I think [Death with Dignity] is a right that I have and should have. It’s an option that all of us should have. It’s an option that should be explained, explained carefully by someone who is as skilled as Betty…It’s very important this information be made more widely available…it’s not something that people talk about enough.”

With the support of his family, caregivers, and members of his community, Charlie knew that he wanted to have control over his last chapter in life. He strongly believes that the option of Death with Dignity is a right everyone should have. And Charlie hopes that by sharing his story, more people will learn about the end-of-life options they have available.