Let me start off by saying this: Never, ever think that it will stop you! The only one who will stop you is you.

Yes, that may sound hard, because whenever someone asks you what does that mean you literally say, "You know how breathing is the easiest thing for everyone? Yeah, no, people with asthma have a hard time doing that, depending what type of asthma they have."

I have lived with asthma since I was six months old after I got pneumonia, so I have learned what triggers my asthma and am still learning to this day what could trigger my asthma. I mean, I did not have my first ER trip until I was in high school, and had my first asthma attack when I was in college during a theater performance.

As I kid, I was playing soccer and dancing and this is when I learned that I have Activity Induced Asthma and Cold Induced Asthma. Activity Induced means if I am continuously doing an activity for long periods of time, this can cause shortness of breath and possible whooping cough, which means I need to take my rescue inhaler. Cold Induced means that if I am doing exercise in the cold, it will be harder for me to breathe and do the activity, or when I get sick there is a high possibility that I will need to take my inhaler every four to six hours to make sure it does not get out of hand.

Sounds scary, right? Actually, it motivates me to push harder so that it does not happen again. I still dance and push myself even harder so I can last longer without using my inhaler.

Are you sure you want to keep going? This is the question I get asked as soon as my coughing progresses.

Maybe you should take it easy today. There will be another time. The statement that comes after the coughing has not stopped for awhile.

My response: I will sit for one run-through and then I am participating again.

I never sit there and feel like my asthma is controlling my life, and neither should you or your friends who have it. If you know someone who has asthma, let them know that they can do it!

I hate that feeling of not being able to do something because of my asthma, because it's all in my head (well, depending on how bad it is and how much I can see after coughing.)

I decided whether or not my asthma will win that day or not.

You are the decider of if you will sit out or take a puff of your inhaler and keep going.

You know the best day that happened to me? When my doctor told me that my lungs are strong enough for me to come off my everyday inhaler and only go to my rescue inhaler.

That was from me pushing and having my parents and boyfriend remind to me take my everyday inhaler every single day. That day I won, and I will keep that win in my back pocket where my everyday inhaler used to be.

Your asthma is not your weakness. It is your motivation!