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The pursuit of flourishing, or living a good life, is a common human endeavor with different meanings across individuals and contexts. What is needed is a further exploration of the relationship between flourishing and health, particularly chronic illness, which affects individuals across the life course and is affected by experiences of stress derived from social and structural vulnerability.Drawing on data from the Soweto Syndemics study, including a locally derived stress scale and in-depth interviews, we explore the connections between flourishing and health for those living with multiple chronic illnesses in Soweto, South Africa within a syndemic of communicable and non-communicable disease. Rather than drawing on Western-centric notions of flourishing (which place emphasis on an individual's capabilities or capacities to thrive), we draw on previous ethnographic work on flourishing in Soweto, South Africa, which described how ukuphumelela, or “becoming victorious,” as a social or communal affair. This conceptualization reflects local values and priorities for people's lives and the ways in which their lives are deeply intertwined with each other.We contribute to a more robust understanding of flourishing in context, of how chronic illness is experienced, and of how the role of a patient is transcended in spaces where individuals are part of a social or faith community. As people living with chronic illness(es) actively pursue the good life, health care systems must consider these pursuits as valid parts of the human experience that also challenge narrow definitions of health.

What does it mean to live a flourishing life in Soweto? This article investigates how people residing in Soweto, located in South Africa's Gauteng province, define, experience, and express flourishing both on its own and in relation to health. We interviewed 30 people who had expressed some interest in flourishing and health in a previous interview, and found that the IsiZulu term ukuphumelela – roughly translated as “becoming victorious” – best approximated the English notion of flourishing. We found that interviewees' conceptions of ukuphumelela diverged significantly from current scholarship on flourishing in general and flourishing and health in particular. Three central elements of ukuphumelela illustrate three elements: external, material, or structural factors (like financial security), internal or personal characteristics (including discipline), and relationality of social dynamics, such as dynamics of reciprocity, mutual obligation, and care. Moreover, we identified seven ways people drew from their personal journeys to define ukuphumelela: 1) determination and drive to reach their goals; 2) broader opportunity to attain a good education and learn from strong role models or mentors; 3) having enough money or material support to cover basic needs; 4) overcoming odds or conquering challenges from childhood; 5) prayer, faith, and trust in God; 6) a journey or path (a pursuit); and 7) caring for and giving back to others, emphasizing ubuntu. Our findings suggest that what it means, and what it takes, to flourish varies from one setting to the next.