When Pamela Tapia came to Oakland from Mexico as a 7th grader, language was not her greatest challenge.

Nor was her immigration status. Asthma was her nemesis.

JTapia recounted her difficulty dealing with the disease. The conversation was moderated by Martin G. Reynolds, Bay Area News Group senior editor for community engagement.

For questions or comments, email Reynolds at mreynolds@bayareanewsgroup.com or find him on twitter @reynoldspost.