global medical access 2025-09-16T00:41:38Z

The first cramp hit like a sucker punch midway through my konbini onigiri. By midnight, I was fetal on a Tokyo Airbnb floor, my gut twisting into knots while neon lights bled through paper-thin curtains. Sweat pooled beneath me as I clawed at my phone – hospitals felt galaxies away behind language barriers and panic. That's when muscle memory took over: my thumb found the blue cross icon I'd ignored for months.