Book excerpt: Our natural tapestry, the skin, can be torn apart by disease, and we can suffer from horrendous physical and emotional trauma. This book gathers together a number of stories of people with skin diseases, and its organizing principle is each patientâ (TM)s story and the search for the fundamental humanity, compassion, and empathy for the person with skin and systemic issues. One central element of the book is the need to dignify a personâ (TM)s life in the face of diseaseâ "something that is often not their fault.