All that holds: a story of healing

Stories convey meaning and open us to the deep mystery of compassion. Stories are methodological tools in the aesthetic domain of nursing, paratelic ways of knowing that carry us beyond logic to a higher order of understanding. Through stories we are connected to each other and to ourselves. The purpose of this article is to tell the story of Valerie and her journey into healing through metastatic breast cancer. Holistic nursing as a process is contextually illuminated by creating a story within a story. This is an aesthetic work woven together from Valerie's narrative, an interview with her mother after Valerie's death, and from the author's own impressions. Literary quotations are used to highlight different sections of the story with metaphors that speak to the nature of healing. It is hoped that this story will open the reader to his or her own unique understanding of the meaning of healing.