What long COVID taught me about life (and data) | Giorgia Lupi
Feb 11, 2025
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Giorgia Lupi, an acclaimed information designer known for her captivating data visualizations, shares her transformative journey with long COVID. She meticulously tracked her symptoms over four years, using data to create a powerful narrative that connected with many suffering from chronic illness. Lupi emphasizes that data is more than mere numbers; it tells our stories and fosters understanding. She also explores neuroplasticity, encouraging hope and empowerment through personal growth and creative engagement with our health.
Giorgia Lupi illustrates that data can transcend mere numbers, becoming vital stories that foster understanding and empathy in chronic illness.
By shifting focus from symptom tracking to celebrating progress, Lupi exemplifies how perspective transforms the experience of recovery and hope.
Deep dives
The Power of Data in Health
Data can serve as a powerful tool for understanding and improving health outcomes. By tracking her symptoms related to long COVID, Georgia Lupe was able to identify patterns that informed her treatment and provided clarity during a confusing time. She emphasized that data should not just be viewed as cold numbers, but as personal narratives that can shed light on the human experience of illness. This perspective allows individuals to utilize their health data in meaningful ways to foster informed discussions with health professionals.
Sharing Experiences Through Creative Data Visualization
Georgia shared how she transformed her personal health data into a visual op-ed for the New York Times, depicting her experience with long COVID through painted data visualizations. This piece blended colors representing her various symptoms and timelines, providing readers with a vivid and emotional understanding of her daily struggles. By doing so, she not only documented her journey but also gave a voice to others in the chronic illness community, inviting shared stories of hope and resilience. This innovative approach highlighted the importance of representation in understanding illness and fostering empathy.
Adopting a Positive Mindset for Progress
In her journey toward recovery, Georgia shifted her focus from tracking her symptoms to documenting her progress and moments of gratitude. This change aimed to challenge the narrative around her health and to embrace the possibilities of improvement, supported by neuroscience principles like neuroplasticity. By letting go of constant symptom monitoring, she found renewed hope and motivation toward recovery, proving that perception plays a significant role in one's journey through chronic illness. Georgia’s story encourages others to reflect on their health narratives and to seek out positive reinforcement in their experiences.
Data isn’t just about numbers or trends — it’s about capturing the stories that shape our lives, says information designer Giorgia Lupi. Following a long COVID diagnosis, she tracked her symptoms meticulously over four years, the data culminating in a visual “New York Times” narrative that resonated deeply with many others suffering from chronic illness. Lupi invites us to consider data not as a rigid or objective truth, but as a living language used to better understand ourselves, offering a surprising shift in perspective — depending on where you look.