TROY -- While a Troy teen battles for his life this week, with 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, Hewins 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 Hewins' aunt, June Bishop, of Albion, said Justin has suffered brain damage following cardiac arrest Nov. 9.

Doctors on Tuesday performed a tracheotomy in Hewin's throat to assist with breathing and he is on a feeding tube, Bishop said.

West said Hewins is improving, ever so slightly.

"They just cut the tube out of his mouth," West said. "He's been answering yes or no questions, through blinking. His mother's been with him every minute. 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.

Classmate Jennifer Stauffer said Mount View students will help run the bake sale -- with proceeds going to the Hewins family -- 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.

"He's just a really nice, considerate person," she said. "He watches out for others. He's sort of quirky, but in a nice way."

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

Lois Bouchard, practice manager at Lovejoy, said Wednesday that information on patients is confidential.

"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 Hewins with diabetes, Bishop said.

Larry Grard -- 861-9239

lgrard@centralmaine.com