How a sinus infection led to emergency brain surgery for one Long Island teen

What started as a sinus infection left a Long Island teenager fighting for his life, requiring emergency brain surgery.

Justin Simpson, a high school senior, said in the past when he had sinus infections, it wasn't anything major, but this time, symptoms lingered, and some were unusual.

"Justin is soft spoken, a very respectful child. And then he started to get more irritated, more aggressive .... and his left eye started to get swollen," mother Jacqueline Simpson said.

Despite a trip to the emergency room and medication, he only got worse. Two days later, he was rushed to Mount Sinai.

His mother said he had a seizure in the ambulance. The EMT gave him medication as she prayed for her son.

"Justin would not wake up. There was no pulse. And then I heard him say, 'Justin, you have to wake up,'" Jacqueline Simpson said. "In that moment, it must have been God. And as he said that, Justin took a deep breath and he was back with us."

As pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Peter Morgenstern explains, the bone separating the sinuses from the brain is extremely thin.

"It is possible, through tiny blood vessels or even tiny holes in that bone, for infections to spread into the brain," he said. "It's incredibly rare, but it can be incredibly dangerous."

It sent Justin Simpson straight into surgery, but the infection was so persistent, he needed a second one.

"We removed a large portion of his skull ... to relieve that compression, and we allowed his brain swelling to come down," Morgenstern said.

The doctor said the time when a sinus infection becomes an emergency is when symptoms are changing rapidly, such as severe headaches, confusion, lethargy, decreased appetite and seizures.  

"I missed school ... I had graduation and prom," Justin Simpson said.  

He proved to be more persistent than the infection, pushing through with his family by his side.

Now, a more than a year later, they're raising awareness.

"Pay attention to your children," Jacqueline Simpson said. "If you see something is different, take action."

That quick action, along with with his doctors, got Justin Simpson to graduation, and now college. He hopes to become a pilot after proving to himself the sky's the limit.

"It definitely changed my perspective on life," he said.