This creative piece is based on a clinical encounter I observed during an online placement in general practice. The patient was a young woman with a rare condition which has a significant impact on her movement as she experiences muscle spasms and weakness.

She spoke about her health as a child, describing her very slight frame and small stature growing up as well as a lack of flexibility and generally being slower than her peers in physical activities. As a child and then into adulthood, dancing was an important aspect of her life but growing limitations in movement prompted her to begin a career in childcare. This however also become difficult for her body to handle, so she is now supported by her husband and carers at home.

The patient nevertheless showed distaste for the word ‘disabled’ in describing herself. Her diagnosis came later in life after a cousin was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Her daughter was also diagnosed with the same condition.

I chose this encounter as the basis of my creative piece because I felt incredibly moved during and after the experience. I was particularly inspired by the way dance and movement was described by the patient. I think there is something uniquely difficult about a patient growing up as a dancer and yet slowly lose mobility and strength in her limbs. Particularly, as movement and control of your own body isn’t often something that we consciously think about, to then begin to lose that control is a very unique challenge.

I used wire and pliers to construct a sculpture of a human figure dancing. The main skeleton of the figure was created using the same wire but twisted to thicken it and provide stability for the rest of the figure. The appearance of muscles in the limbs as well as finer details such as the hair in a bun and the positioning of the hands were created using single strips of wire, bent and manipulated around the skeleton. I chose to keep the sculpture fairly bare to highlight the quality of movement and the contortion the human body often has to go through as a dancer. I used wire as my medium as it’s quite a rigid and inflexible material until a considerable amount of force and a number of tools are used to mould it into shape. Once positioned, it is quite stiff and difficult to return back into its original place. This reflects the stiffness and difficulty in movement experienced by the patient as a result of her condition. The use of a stiff and inflexible material contrasts with the organic shape of the sculpture and the fluidity of movement that you see in dancers. It is representative of the difficulty that comes with being an individual with a passion for dance, but with a body that often betrays itself. 

The most significant thing I gained from this encounter is a better understanding of how deeply the impact of an illness can change an individual’s life, beyond just living and breathing. It demonstrated the importance of seeing your patient as more than just their illness – but a person with an entire life, interests and hobbies all of which contribute to how severely an illness can affect them. The better we understand the patient and what they value as important, the better we can support them as clinicians to live the best possible quality of life.