Nine Months Later and The Cost of Leaving Taiwan
Nine months after leaving Taiwan with two suitcases, a suitcase full of medications, and my cats, I am still counting the cost of leaving. This is what it meant to walk away from a 23-year relationship, lose almost everything familiar, and begin rebuilding my life from the ground up.
The Invisible Weight of a Disabled Wife
A mop didn't really end my marriage. But it became a symbol of something much bigger. It's about how easily physical disability can be mistaken for dependence, while everything a disabled person contributes becomes invisible.
The Day I Was Supposed to Return to Taiwan
Today was the day I was supposed to return to Taiwan. I left with a return ticket and an impossible deadline: eight months to establish medical care, disability support, pension protection and a secure future in Canada. Within a few days of arriving in Canada, I knew I could never go back.
Chronic Illness and Disability: How Sick Do You Need To Be For Help?
How sick does a disabled person have to become before needing help is enough? I spent years working, paying enormous medical costs, managing complex illness, and asking directly for help while my capacity disappeared. Looking back, the hardest truth is that I was already there. I had been there all along.
Ownership, Labour, and Erasure at Reach To Teach Recruiting
For 16+ years, I helped build Reach To Teach Recruiting through ownership, writing, systems, teacher support, public-facing work, and years of invisible labour. This is a record of what I built, what I carried, and what I refuse to let disappear.
The Fear of Being Abandoned When You Are Sick
The fear of abandonment when you are sick is a personal essay about what happens when the person who promised to stand beside you remains physically present but withdraws care, safety, and support. During Disability Pride Month, I write about chronic illness, medical neglect, emotional abandonment, and the moment fear became recognition.
Repatriation Lesson One: Healthcare and Disability Do Not Cross Borders
When I repatriated to Canada after 17 years in Taiwan, I didn't just leave a country. I left a healthcare ecosystem. My specialists didn't cross the border with me. My disability supports didn't cross the border with me. My treatment history, care teams, and years of hard-earned medical credibility didn't automatically transfer either. Healthcare and disability do not cross borders with the patient. The patient crosses the border. Everything else has to be rebuilt. Five months after returning to Canada, I'm beginning to understand that the biggest challenge wasn't transporting my belongings across an ocean. It was reconstructing an entire healthcare life from scratch.
High-Functioning Collapse in Complex Care
What happens when a chronically ill patient spends years surviving beyond capacity while navigating trauma, complex care, and systemic failure? This is a personal essay about chronic illness, trauma, medical system exhaustion, and what high-functioning collapse in complex care actually looks like.
