A Little Excerpt

Summer 2019

Mike Wong and Kevin Maggliardi went on a run on a warm afternoon, when they probably should not have. Their 1.5-hour long run went well for the most part, until the end.

When Wong and Kevin finished their run, Wong was doing fine. But Kevin was experiencing difficulty breathing and a sharp pain in his chest. He lay on the ground with both hands on his chest, feeling for his heartbeat, and his shirt was pulled up to his stomach. His belly button and part of his boxers were exposed.

“Wong,” Kevin said weakly.
“Yes, Kevin?” Wong responded.
“Can you get my inhaler?”
“Sure, where is it?
“Backpack,” Kevin replied.
“I’ll look for it,” Wong said.
“I forgot to use it.”
“Oh shit.”
“Yeah.”
“You okay?”
“I’m not sure.”

Wong gave Kevin his inhaler, and once he took a few puffs, Kevin started to recover. After a few minutes, he rolled over on his left side and threw up.

“You okay, Kevin?” Wong asked.
“I’m getting there,” Kevin replied.
“Sorry about today.”
“No, I screwed up. I forgot to use my inhaler before we went on our run, and that always happens to me when I don’t.”
“It happens. I have asthma as well, and the same thing has happened to me before,” Wong stated.
“My heart was pounding so hard, that I thought it was gonna burst. Every time I felt my heartbeat, I felt a sharp pain in my chest, and of course it really hurt to breathe,” Kevin remarked.
“Oh wow, that sucks.”
“Yeah, I’m glad it’s over. And throwing up sucks as well.”
“Yes, it does. Same thing happened to me a few times when I also forgot my inhaler.”
“My older brother has asthma as well, and there were also a few times where he forgot to use his inhaler.”