Spring 2014
Veronica Sanchez didn’t know she had a problem until she was admitted to the hospital with her second heart attack. The 51-year-old had recently passed her annual check-up, when she woke in the night with chest pressure and nausea. She crawled to the bathroom, and then, watched some television, hoping to feel better. When Sanchez’s left arm went numb, she alerted her husband, who took her to the emergency room. There, she learned that most women don’t wake up during such an episode, and this saved her life. Continue reading “A Wake-up Call for Women”
When Beverly was rescued from a local Houston shelter, she was a brown, matted mess. Poodle Rescue of Houston (PRH) cleaned her up, and two hours later, she looked like a fluffy, cream dream. The non-profit haven assisted 800 distressed and homeless poodles last year alone. “Once we rescue dogs, we rehabilitate them and offer them for adoption to carefully screened families and individuals,” says PRH Executive Director Guinette Peebles. 
Some relationships are for a season, and others, for reasons no one can explain, last a lifetime. These Katy-area best friends arrange to see each other regularly, but also have to contend with moves, motherhood, illness, and more. Through it all, their bonds grow stronger as their history grows longer. 
When nurse practitioner Angela Okotie-Eboh’s childhood friend died of a massive heart attack in her home country of Nigeria, Angela reacted with sorrow and determination. Her friend’s death could have been prevented with basic medical care, so Angela began a practical campaign to help prevent substandard medical care in places like Nigeria. The friend was the same age as Angela, only 42 years old, and her senseless death really hit home. For Angela, where she now lives in the U.S., a place where people often take their medical care for granted, and in her birthplace of Africa, where people in remote locales don’t even have Tylenol to relieve pain. 
Lily Jang is an Emmy-nominated news anchor who loves greeting her hometown on Channel 11 each weekday morning. Growing up in Northwest Houston and graduating from University of Texas, her heart is where her boots are. The self-proclaimed fitness fanatic, world traveler, and social media queen is all about Houston, all of the time. 
“Small steps lead to big things.” That’s the kind of advice bassist Stormy Cooper offers to rising fellow Cy-Fair artists. His words are from the heart and born of experience. The owner of Stormy Cooper Media (SC Media) and 13-year veteran of the Roger Creager Band has slowly and steadily walked toward success in the music industry.
There is no mirror or air conditioning, and big fans create warehouse utility that leads members to call their gym “the box.” Truck tires lean against a slump block wall, kettle bells line up behind free weights, jump ropes wait for another sweaty skip, and pull-up bars resemble scaffolding. This is no-frills, functional fitness. This is CrossFit.
The Cy-Fair High School graduate was deployed to Iraq three times, suffering a bullet to the head on one occasion. His Kevlar helmet saved him, but his wife Crystal can’t forget his phone call regarding the mission to clear roadside bombs. “He told me ‘Don’t freak out, but I got shot in the head, and I’m okay,’” she says. 
If Peggy Wills had to be described with one word, it would be determined. With her children grown and recently widowed, Wills decided to pursue her college degree.