TROY -- While a Troy teen battles for his life this week, his mother at his side, the Mount View High School junior has schoolmates organizing a Saturday bake sale on his behalf.

Relatives say Justin Hewins, 16, of Troy, is suffering from brain damage following a sudden onset of diabetes. For the past two weeks, Justin has been a patient at Eastern Maine Medical Center, where he has undergone surgeries.

His mother, Rose Hewins, stays right in his hospital room while her companion, Roland West, minds their home on Bishop Road. Justin's aunt, June Bishop of Albion, said Justin suffered brain damage following cardiac arrest Nov. 9.

"Nothing good," Rose Hewins reported late Thursday afternoon. "He has some infection in his lungs. Can't seem to shake that so he is back on antibiotics ... has a high fever. But I refuse to give up hope."

West said Justin is improving, ever-so-slightly.

"He's been answering yes-or-no questions, through blinking," West said. "They don't think he's going to die now, but he did suffer some brain damage."

Justin's struggles are public, online at www.caringbridge. org/visit/justinhewins. The Web page includes information about him, a journal and a guestbook. West said he wrote Justin's story for him.

Classmate Jennifer Stauffer said Mount View students will help run the benefit bake sale at the Troy General Store. The sale will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday and run until the food runs out, she said.

Stauffer said everyone at Mount View is pulling for Hewins.

Bishop said her nephew became ill in late October.

"He had visual changes," she said. "The eye doctor inquired about diabetes. Then there were flu-like conditions, and he started drinking a lot."

Justin became extremely ill on Nov. 5, Bishop said. His mother said she took him to Lovejoy Health Center in Albion, where, Bishop said, he was given an early diagnosis of the flu.

"He had diabetic ketoacidosis," Bishop said. "They don't know you have it until it presents itself as the flu, and then (his blood-sugar level rose) to really, really high."

Justin grew more ill overnight, and his mother called 911, Bishop said. He was taken to MaineGeneral Medical Center's Thayer Unit in Waterville, where doctors diagnosed him with diabetes, Bishop said.

By that time, Bishop said, Justin had a blood-sugar count of around 1,400 and was unresponsive.

"They couldn't even believe he was alive," Bishop said.

She said Justin was moved from Thayer to EMMC later on the day of Nov. 6.

Justin was feeling "a little better" by Nov. 8, Bishop said. But it didn't last long.

"The next day he had cardiac arrest," Bishop said. "He was out for eight minutes, and that's what caused the brain damage," she said.

Larry Grard -- 861-9239

lgrard@centralmaine.com