Above: Graduate student Jieun Lim (CFA’26) turned to art when she was diagnosed with cancer in college.
How one art student and cancer survivor helps chemo patients find healing through self-expression
As an artist, Jieun Lim (CFA’26) has lived many lives—furniture designer, sculptor, photographer, puppeteer. But it was her experience as a cancer patient that imbued her art with a deeper purpose.
Diagnosed with thyroid cancer just before college, Lim remembers the uncertainty, heaviness, and fear. But she also recalls the boredom—particularly while waiting for a chemotherapy chair to open.
Art became her lifeline. She switched majors—from business to sculpture and photography—and began exploring how pain could be transformed, not just endured.
In remission for nearly a decade, Lim is now pursuing a master’s in art education at Boston University, where she leads monthly crafting workshops for chemotherapy patients at Boston Medical Center. Her project, “Art of Waiting,” is part of BU’s Arts|Lab initiative, a cross-campus effort exploring how art can transform medical experiences. In the chemo waiting room, Lim offers simple, hands-on activities like origami, finger puppets, and paper booklets to ease anxiety and pass the time. “We try to take the fear out of that vulnerable time by helping people do something using their hands,” she says.
For Lim, art is more than a creative outlet. It’s about empathy and giving back. “Now, it is my turn to offer and share with others what I’ve experienced through art during difficult times.”