Oncology nurses face some uncomfortably common truths when treating patients with cancer. Invariably—no matter how hard certain patients fight—some will die from their diseases. Patient death is a part of oncology care, and no nurse would tell you differently. But accepting and dealing with loss and grief is sometimes pushed aside in favor of stoic attitudes that some may equate with professionalism.

I finally got to read my pile of journals that had been occupying my coffee table for the summer. I usually take a few volumes and hole up on the couch absorbing the new research that has come out. As always, I was personally touched by Dr. Anne Katz's editorial in the July issue of the Oncology Nursing Forum titled "Scar Tissue in the Heart."