Father Jeremy Zipple Shares Encouraging Health Update

After weeks of uncertainty, prayers, and support from across the country, Father Jeremy Zipple is sharing some welcome news tonight: his surgery was a success. The Jesuit priest, well known for his work at St. Martin De Porres in Belize City, says doctors in Houston, Texas, successfully removed a golf ball-sized brain tumor discovered while he was visiting family in the United States. Now recovering in the Neuro ICU, Father Zipple says he is overwhelmed by the outpouring of encouragement from Belizeans at home and abroad. Even more encouraging, doctors believe the tumor is non-cancerous. As he continues his recovery, Father Zipple is reflecting on one of the most difficult chapters of his life and expressing gratitude to everyone who kept him in their thoughts and prayers. Today, he spoke with News Five about his journey and the road ahead.

 

Father Jeremy Zipple, Associate Pastor, St. Martin De Porres

“Praise God, my health is good and and and they’re all saying you know if you keep your health good then you’re going to have a much better recovery so i want to encourage everybody to go out there and walk at Marion Jones do your exercise because it helps a lot everybody in the unit here has been saying now father you’re in you’re in really good health and so that’s pushing your recovery quickly. But yeah, the surgery was really successful. And you can see over here, that’s where they went in and took it out. Quite a gash. It was like the size of a golf ball. So it was a pretty big tumor back there. But it should not be cancer. I mean, they’re certain it’s not cancer. They have to run the biopsy and just confirm that. But the type of tumor it is not usually cancerous.”

 

Britney Gordon

“How has it felt to see those prayers and well wishes from your Belizean family?”

 

Jeremy Zipple

“It’s just been overwhelming. Another reason why I love Belize so much. I mean, Belize is a family, you know. It’s a nation, but it’s a big family. And i think some of my friends from outsider beliefs are like what is going on you know like everybody knows you and reaching out to you there and i’m just like it’s just how it is you know people care for one another people love one another people pray for one another and anytime there’s a difficult situation people get together and and support one another. you don’t see that everywhere in the world so i hope we in Belize don’t take that for granted. I know for me, because normally I’m on the other side, normally I’m a priest, you know, praying for someone or helping someone out. But now to be on the receiving side of all that love and prayer and good vibes and hope, it’s just overwhelming. And I’m incredibly grateful for it.”

 

Zipple said doctors initially estimated his recovery could take up to two months, but because he is recovering faster than expected, he hopes to be back in Belize within about a month.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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