Takeaway
Wellness has a different meaning for each person. Understanding this can help us to prioritize what matters most to the patient in front of us.
Creative arts in medicine | September 22, 2026 | 2 min read
By Elena Wei, medical student, Johns Hopkins Medicine
Before I started medical school, I did a research year where I worked with many patients with cutaneous autoimmune disease, especially those with cutaneous lupus. I listened to their stories. I listened to how they were sick, to how their symptoms and rashes affected them.
There are different patient surveys aimed at defining the impact of disease on a patient’s quality of life and capturing the efficacy of a treatment in checkboxes or scales. When we look at clinical trial data, we see numbers and statistics, and we analyze the graphs and tables. What do these data represent? What are the experiences behind the numbers? Here I recall some meaningful accounts from patients of dermatologist Dr. Victoria Werth at the University of Pennsylvania. The patients’ words go along with this poem and watercolor painting, a passion that I rediscovered during my research year. This painting could be interpreted as a person healing and discovering their own version of wellness on top of their skin histology, growing butterfly wings that symbolize lupus.
What does it mean to be well?
To be well is
To function
To open jars and cook my own meal
To climb the stairs to my bed
To go outside and watch my grandkids play at the beach
To sleep without waking to bedsheets of blood and grease
I am tired of the itch and the pain.
To be well is
To find fulfillment
To chase my dreams without the tire of fatigue
To be able to study and to work
To run track and earn my scholarship
To be excited about life
I want to have gusto.
To be well is
To feel beautiful
To see my smile before I see my scars
To have hair to run my fingers through
To have hair that makes me feel like me
look at my scalp
look at my hands
I want to feel at home in my skin.
To be well is
To be happy
To see my friends
To love my family
To live how I want.
This piece expresses the views solely of the author. It does not necessarily represent the views of any organization, including Johns Hopkins Medicine.