I was born with atopic dermatitis,
a genetic skin condition that cannot be fully cured.
Since birth,
I’ve been fighting constant itching every day.
The more you scratch,
the worse it gets.
That’s the nature of this disease.
And in my case,
it was never something money or modern medicine could completely fix.
Trying to Hold On in Canada
Still, I wanted to make it work in Canada.
I wasn’t just installing vinyl wrap.
I was trying to build something bigger—
installation, training, retail, and distribution.
So I tried everything to keep my condition under control.
In Vancouver,
I went to emergency rooms, walk-in clinics, and even
traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) clinics.
Just about every place I could find.
But my skin kept getting worse.
And at some point,
it stopped being just a physical problem.
It became mental.
The Referral System
Then a Taiwanese friend connected me
with a dermatologist.
For a moment,
it felt like I finally had a way out.
But the answer was blunt.
“Even if you’re a friend of a friend,
I can’t treat you on the street.
You need a referral from a walk-in clinic.”
So I went back.
Again.
And the result?
“Take this medication and come back in one month.”
That was it.
The Reality of Healthcare in Canada
In Canada, if you get sick,
you often can’t get proper treatment in time.
To see a specialist,
you may have to wait one to two years.
That’s the system.
And when your condition gets serious,
there’s only one real option left.
You get on a plane.
And you go back to Korea.
The Flight That Changed My Decision
I bought a ticket to Korea
leaving in less than 24 hours.
It cost me $2,500.
During the 12-hour flight,
I kept thinking about one thing.
In Korea,
you can see a specialist almost immediately
for a small cost.
But in Canada,
you wait.
And wait.
And wait.
The Question That Changed Everything
That’s when the question hit me.
Even if I make $1,000 a day…
or $10,000 a day…what’s the point
if I can’t even get proper treatment
while my body is falling apart?
Seoul Interior Film 