Cypress pastor survives life-threatening medical emergency in Hawaii; community rallies to bring him home

CYPRESS, Texas - A Cypress community is rallying around a longtime pastor who survived a life-threatening medical emergency while visiting Hawaii.

Now, his family and church members are raising money to bring him back home to Texas so he can continue his recovery.

What we know:

Sidney O’Pry has served as the pastor of Overflow Fellowship Church in Cypress since founding the church in 2013.

His daughter, Robin Mires, says he suffered an aortic tear while snorkeling in Hawaii.

O’Pry underwent hours of surgery and spent weeks in the intensive care unit fighting for his life.

At one point, his condition became so critical that his family made the difficult decision to remove him from life support.

His daughter says what happened next was nothing short of a miracle.

"They took him off life support. They didn’t expect that it would take long, but he continued to breathe on his own. His vitals never shifted. And instead of him passing, he just began to heal," Mires said.

Mires says her father has spent years giving back to others, whether through his church or mission trips to other countries. Now, the community is coming together to return the favor.

What they're saying:

"It’s just really been a full circle moment because my dad, being a pastor, has really given back to the community," Mires said. "It’s been really humbling just seeing not just people we know, but complete strangers just give to help bring him back here."

His daughter says O’Pry is now medically stable enough to be transferred to a hospital in Texas, but getting him home comes with a significant financial burden. She says the medical team and flight needed to safely transport him are not covered by insurance.

For now, O’Pry remains hospitalized in Hawaii as his family works to raise enough money to bring him home.

Meanwhile, members of Overflow Fellowship Church are stepping up to support their pastor and his family.

"He is a man with a huge heart, and we long for him to be back," church member Laura Colchado said. "We just want God to continue to do this beautiful, unfolding miracle in his life."

Another church member, Sarah Church, says the congregation has also taken on many of the responsibilities O’Pry handled behind the scenes.

"It’s incredible to see how everybody just kind of rises up and sees a need and is eager to meet a need," Church said.

For those who know O’Pry, the outpouring of support is a reflection of the impact he has made on the community over the years.

So far, his family has raised more than $30,000 toward its $50,000 goal.

They are hoping to reach that goal soon so Pastor Sidney can finally return home to Texas and continue his recovery surrounded by family, friends and the church community he has spent years serving.