The Healing Muse is SUNY Upstate Medical University's journal of literary and visual arts published annually by the Center for Bioethics and Humanities. Since 2001, The Healing Muse has published stories, poetry, and essays that focus on illness and medicine in order to foster stronger communication and understanding for those involved in all aspects of health care. Volume 12 introduces new authors and artists and a few old friends. Showcasing writers from the region as well as from around the nation and world, the Muse offers compelling and moving insights into the human stories that underlie today's health care. Again in Volume 12, readers will hear the voices of real people affected by real illness alongside the perspectives of doctors, nurses, other health care professionals, and caregivers.