I was only 11 the day I learned that my mother had passed away from asthma. This was a pivotal moment for me, and my entire family. At this point in my life, our family, who had been depending on her, was devastated. My mother had been the foundation of our family and even though my family mourned her loss, my father, a laborer and eventually the grocery store owner of M & S Market in Salida, continued to provide for our family.

Although M & S M...