I want to thank Dr. Sinatra and several other physicians who have written to me of their pain and many years of buried feelings. I held the pain of the experience at Moses Lake in my heart for 3 to 4 years before timidly sharing it with my best friend from medical school. Her prompting caused me to show it to others, who also encouraged me to publish it. Being a physician means being at the core of human feelings—celebrating birth, helping families recover from illness, watching tragic deaths, or helping families to cope with chronic and terminal illness. This is a rich and rewarding part of medicine if we are not left isolated by our feelings. Rather than burying these moments, we can support one another by sharing our experiences and listening.

Judgment and criticism are strong throughout medical school and residency. We are often launched into practice having lost many of our basic "feeling" skills. Even our most sensitive mentors may fail to address our emotional needs because they have not learned to deal with theirs. We need permission to cry, laugh, and experience our human feelings in light of the miracles and tragedies that we face daily. If we to do so, we will be better human beings and more caring physicians.