Bindiya Shah Oral History Interview

DESCRIPTION
Bindiya Shah, MSN was born in India and immigrated to the United States with her parents as a child. This challenging experience of transitioning to a new culture and home during her most formative years allowed her to gain a sense of compassion for the underdog. After the grind of serving in the military during college and corporate America for years, she felt a pull to bedside nursing, finding purpose as a Trauma/Emergency Nurse.

The sudden and unexpected loss of her mother from COVID propelled her back to patient care as a way of giving back during very uncertain times. With a passion for serving the most vulnerable and a fierce bravery when it comes to difficult work, Bindi chooses to work at a level 1 trauma center, caring for underserved communities in low-funded institutions. Despite the workload, she shares the unique challenges and perspective working on the frontlines had Covid wave after wave. A fierce advocate for empowering her patients, Bindiya is a certified Sexual Assault Advocate and volunteers for various help lines in Chicago.

She shares the unique impact the pandemic's required isolation has had on mental health in the community and amongst her colleagues. When Bindiya is not a the hospital, you can find her dancing, traveling, or biking around Chicago.

In this slideshow, you will see:
A photo of Bindiya celebrating with her sisters. Eager to serve, Bindiya graduated with a Masters in Nursing.

Photos of Bindiya with her mother. Bindiya had a very close relationship with her mom, whom she lost in March 2020.

Afraid to impact her immunocompromised mom, Bindiya would visit her from the garage.

After so many waves and endless months of the pandemic, the bond between coworkers kept Bindiya going.

AUDIO
Duration: 00:28:50

ADDITIONAL METADATA
Date: February 7, 2022
Subject(s): Bindiya Shah
Type: Oral History
Source: Archival Creators Fellowship Program
Creator: Roshni Shah
Contributor: Bindiya Shah
Location: Chicago, Illinois

PROVENANCE
Collection: Roshni Shah Fellowship Project
Donor: Bindiya Shah
Item History: 2022-06-17 (created); 2022-07-12 (modified)

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