September 2011
Story & Photography by Gail G. Collins
Meeting Williamson Tapia, the bit of gray in his hair came as a surprise. The plein air painter’s enthusiastic, happy spirit had made him sound young. Chalk it up to a child’s energy walking around in a middle-aged man. “I want to work outside instead of a studio – to get out of the classroom. I get bored, and like a little boy, want to go out and play,” Tapia said, pointing through his window at the Red Rock scenery of Sedona. Continue reading “In Search of the Profound”
When Cy-Fair resident Denise Corliss began training a golden retriever named Bretagne for search and rescue, she had no idea his first deployment would be Ground Zero in New York City. Shortly after the second tower fell, Corliss received word that she and Bretagne would be searching for survivors. “When I received the call, I was honored, but nervous, because I didn’t know if there was more to come,” says Corliss. “But our training is in place, so as we respond we’re thinking and planning. There are strategies of what to do.” Corliss is a canine search specialist and member of Texas Task Force 1 (TX-TFI), a group of search and rescue volunteer who were deployed to New York City following the terrorist attacks. 
Grandmothers do it. Doctors do it. Lawyers, pilots, and oil rig mechanics do it. Servicemen do it. Gymnasts do it. Wedding couples, graduates, and birthday girls do it. Over a weekend of bright, still days, 200 or so people will jump out of perfectly good airplanes at Skydive Houston. From over 10,000 feet in the heavens, they leap and smile as they ride the wind at 120 miles per hour to catch up with the ground far below them. It is the rush of a lifetime. 
When Patrick Timmons’s best friend challenged him to compete in an Ironman triathlon, he signed up and began training. On race day – a cloudy, summer morning – Timmons swam 2.4 miles before mounting his bike. The sun burned through as Timmons cycled 112 miles. Heat flared off the pavement, so he took advantage of nutrition and hydration offered at the halfway point. By the time Timmons kicked off on three nearly nine-mile running loops to complete the race, his stomach hurt. He felt sick by mile 10 and drank a cola with ice to settle his stomach. His worst fear was throwing up the fuel needed to continue or upsetting his chemical balance. Timmons lost it all anyway, but felt better. More cola and ice with more running, and in the 11th hour, Timmons crossed the finish line. 
Fighting for their lives taught Cy-Fair residents like Martha Ocampo, Logan Holley, and John Bonner to persevere through pain, fear, and tough odds. Healthy again, they credit family and friends for their unwavering support. The three also show a tenacious compassion toward others who are still in the struggle.