I’m KAI. I used to manage IT programs for a U.S. urgent care chain you have definitely heard of, which meant staring down endless support tickets, endless budgets, endless bureaucracy, and still sometimes having to buy groceries on credit. By mid-November 2024, I realized I didn’t need to keep waiting around myself. I moved overseas full-time—partly for treatment, partly for remote work, partly because I could see which way things were going back home and I didn't like it. I called my friend NaN, accepted her invitation based on nothing but trust and friendship, and joined her living in Chiang Mai.
Now I balance two systems at once: the American FSA/HSA machine for payments and the Thai medical system for actual care. My routine includes HRT and treatment for a chronic condition, and both are handled better here than they ever were in the States. Chiang Mai gives me affordable access, shorter lines, and doctors who don’t blink when I tell them what I need.
Defiant is my way of turning lived logistics into shared knowledge. I know which clinics process insurance codes without a meltdown, which labs move fast, which pharmacies stock what. My role is making the paperwork, payment, and prescription cycles line up so other people don’t have to figure it all out from scratch.
Leaving the U.S. wasn’t just about escape, although I'd be lying if I claimed that wasn't an important factor. But also know this: Chiang Mai is a place where the my budget lasts 'til the end of the month even if I eat avocado toast every day, where my doctors treat me with respect and empathy, the pharmacist always smiles and nods when I walk in asking for a refill on hormones, my work is sustainable and meaningful, and the systems don’t fight me at every step.
Looking forward to helping you feel the same sense of security and belonging.
