Less than six months ago, Justin Martinez was a very active teenager.

He played lacrosse for Hampton High School. He lifted weights five days a week and was an avid paint ball player. And he loved to hunt and fish with his dad, Jerry.

Now the 17-year-old sophomore may be facing a double-lung transplant.

Tests done after he blacked out at a lacrosse game in December showed that he has pulmonary hypertension, essentially high blood pressure in his lungs. He previously had blacked out while playing paint ball.

Now, he is on continuous intravenous medication while resting at home, without the stamina for sports, or even classes.

Pulmonary hypertension is a relatively new disease, said Jerry Martinez, with research starting on it in only the last dozen or so years. He said doctors believe his son was born with the disease, and it possibly was exacerbated by anesthesia he received when his wisdom teeth were removed in December.

Normal lung pressure measures between 20 or 30. His was around 80, said his mother, Anne Martinez. In March, he went into heart failure, with his heart pumping seven times harder than normal.

A transplant, she said, is a last resort. "If they can keep his health at a reasonable level with drug therapy, then that's what they'll do. When all the drugs fail, the only alternative will be a transplant."

Her son is facing his illness with a "very good attitude," she said. "He has a very good sense of humor, too, and that helps."

Justin Martinez was relieved to have his condition diagnosed. After months of not being able to keep up with his friends in the halls at school, "I'm glad everyone knows about it now," he said.

The diagnosis has been tough on the family, but especially on his twin brother, Jay.

"He'll ask me sometimes, 'Why wasn't it me? Why was it my brother?' " Jerry Martinez said. "Justin has never said, 'Why me?' He deals with what he has to deal with. He's glad it wasn't his brother because [Jay] doesn't like needles. ... They care about each other so much."

Because the boys are identical twins, Jay Martinez will be tested to make sure he does not have the illness. The boys have two sisters, Julianna, 29, and Katie, 18, a Hampton senior.

The Hampton community has been very supportive, Jerry Martinez said. One of his son's teachers stops by each day to keep him up to date on his school work. Various groups are raising funds to help pay for his care.

"The outpouring by the schools has been pretty remarkable," said Pat Forest, community services liaison for the Hampton School District. The lacrosse team accepted donations and donated the concession stand proceeds from a recent game. Donations collected during the high school musical, "The Wizard of Oz," totaled $1,000. And members of the National Honor Society collected about $3,000 for the fund during lunchtime one week.

A Battle of the Bands concert will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. tomorrow at Hampton High School. Students Dan Nalley and Jamie Wagner organized the four-band competition.

Nalley, a junior, said he thought it would be a good way to raise money for the medical fund. "Most people like music, unless you're out of your mind," he said.

Wagner, a senior, said the event will include a bake sale and art auction.

"I've known his sister for a really long time, and I know they are a really nice family," she said. "If I was in the same situation, I'd want people to help me out."

The outpouring of support is gratifying, Anne Martinez said.

"There are so many wonderful people in our community. You don't realize it until something like this comes along," she said. "They've just been so precious."

The Martinez family has established the Justin Martinez Medical Fund through the North Districts Credit Union, 5321 William Flynn Highway, Gibsonia, PA 15044.