This Women’s Health Month, Tapestry 360 Health is honored to highlight the story of Zubaida Haji Safa — a refugee, advocate, caregiver, and resilient woman whose journey reflects the power of compassionate healthcare, community support, and holistic healing. 

Originally born in Myanmar and raised in Malaysia, Zubaida arrived in Chicago just over a year ago under refugee status. Since then, she has been navigating a completely new life in the United States while carrying the emotional weight of family separation, immigration uncertainty, health challenges, and the trauma many refugees experience.  

But despite everything she has endured, Zubaida radiates warmth, kindness, and hope. 

“Because of Tapestry 360, I’m feeling healthier and better,” she shared. “This clinic became my family.”  

For Zubaida, healthcare is about more than appointments or prescriptions. It’s about feeling welcomed, cared for, and seen. 

She described how even on days without appointments, she stops by the clinic simply to say hello to the staff who have supported her since arriving in Chicago.  

“This place feels like home,” she said. 

As a woman, immigrant, refugee, and member of the Rohingya community, Zubaida has experienced discrimination and hardship throughout much of her life. She spoke openly about the persecution Rohingya Muslims have faced in Myanmar and the unequal treatment refugees often experienced in Malaysia, including barriers to healthcare, employment, and basic rights.  

“People just want safety,” she shared while reflecting on refugee experiences. “They are not criminals. They just want to live.”  

Even while facing her own struggles, Zubaida spent years advocating for other refugees — helping families find housing, supporting women after childbirth, assisting people in detention centers, and organizing community aid efforts for those in crisis.  

Her life has been centered around caring for others.

Now adjusting to life in Chicago, Zubaida is balancing long work commutes, immigration appointments, financial stress, health recovery after gallbladder surgery, and concern for her elderly mother overseas.  

Through it all, she says acupuncture has become an important part of managing stress, pain, and emotional wellness. 

“I believe in it 100%,” Zubaida shared enthusiastically while discussing her acupuncture experience at Tapestry 360 Health.  

For her, acupuncture offered something deeper than temporary relief. It created space for healing without relying heavily on medication — something she deeply values because of her belief in more natural and holistic approaches to wellness.  

“When your body is in pain, we always take painkillers,” she explained. “But too much medicine is not good for your body. Sometimes we need natural healing too.”  

She described the acupuncture experience as calming and restorative, comparing the needles to “a mosquito bite” and explaining that after sessions she feels lighter, calmer, and more hopeful.  

What stands out most about Zubaida’s story is not just her resilience, but her ability to continue showing compassion for others despite everything she has faced herself. 

When asked how she handles stress, she spoke about choosing positivity, staying active, helping people in need, learning new things, and refusing to give up hope.  

This Women’s Health Month, Tapestry 360 Health celebrates women like Zubaida — women whose strength, courage, and care for others remind us that healing is not only physical, but emotional, cultural, and deeply human. 

Her story is a reminder that every woman deserves access to healthcare spaces where she feels safe, supported, and empowered to heal.