As a child, my friend and I often played a game in his backyard with his dog. We would call his dog’s name, then run wildly for cover, hoping to hide before he came to the open back door, barking excitedly. At one point, I sprinted behind a decorative fence, panting from the exertion and gleeful to have found such a perfect hiding place.
However, the panting didn’t stop. Instead, it grew much worse—terrifyingly worse. This was the first time I had experienced asthma.