Small Wound Leads To Open Heart Surgery For 15-Year-Old Oklahoma Boy

The family of a 15-year-old Foyil boy has one wish this Christmas: a clean bill of health.

Roman Hurst has been in the hospital since the day after Thanksgiving with a bacterial staph infection.

Roman, 15, suffered a puncture wound on his hand just before Thanksgiving. He had no idea at the time it would put him in the hospital and lead to open heart surgery.

He loves his family and dreams of being a chef, but for the past four weeks, he's been at the Children's Hospital at St. Francis fighting off a staph infection that nearly took his life.

"I'm scared, he's scared," said Marty Hurst, Roman's mother.

"Everybody thought he was going to die that day and told me to tell him goodbye and stuff, but I was like, 'I'll tell him bye, because I'm going to see him in a few minutes and that's it,'" Marty said. "I said, 'He'll make it through this, because God's got him.'"

Marty said her son suffered a puncture wound on his hand that became a staph infection called Oxacillin Sensitive Staphylococcus Aureus or OSSA.

She said it's one of the worst kinds of staph infections you can get.

"And it went into his heart, exploded into his brain, and then into his lungs," Marty said.

Roman has had two surgeries, including an open heart surgery, and he also has issues with his kidney and pancreas. And now doctors have discovered a new mass that's formed on his brain.

Through it all, Marty said her son's spirit has stayed strong.

"Oh, it's good. You wouldn't even think he was sick," Marty said.

She credits the family's strong faith for his perseverance.

Marty said she's not sure when Roman will be able to leave the hospital, but she said his courage has helped carry the family and she hopes his mettle can inspire others.

"If I didn't have God, my son wouldn't be here today," she said.

Roman had an MRI on Christmas Eve, which that may determine whether he'll need a pacemaker.

He turns 16 in February and his mother said he's disappointed to know that he won't be able to drive for quite some time.