Ex-adult star Emily Willis may never be able to move a muscle again as it’s “highly likely” she is suffering from “locked-in syndrome”, a doctor has revealed.
The Daily Star was last updated on Emily’s condition back in early May after her family confirmed she had woken from a “vegetative coma” after suffering a cardiac arrest in February time.
On February 5 she was rushed to a medical facility in Thousand Oaks, California, after falling seriously ill. She slipped into the coma and has since regained consciousness but despite this, remains unable to speak and can only track objects with her eyes – as per the latest GoFundMe update.
READ MORE: Adult star Emily Willis’ plight – film scenes to fight for life after ‘vegetative coma’
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As Emily’s current condition still remains a mystery, Dr Gareth Nye – Programme Lead for Medical Science at the University of Chester – spoke exclusively with the Daily Star to give his expert take on the tragic situation.
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Dr Nye said while it’s not currently possible to determine what lead to her falling ill, he suggested the road to recovery following such a “traumatic event such as this and recovery from a coma is even more difficult”.
“What we are seeing here is the damage to the brain following a lack of oxygen after the cardiac arrest,” he told the Star. “It is encouraging to see that she seems to be conscious, recognises people and can track with her eyes. However, it is highly likely she is suffering from a condition called locked-in syndrome.”
The doctor explained locked-in syndrome essentially means someone is 100% aware of their surroundings and emotions, but cannot make any movements with the body other than with the eyes.
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“Locked-in syndrome is a condition caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain stem which is a crucial portion of our brain,” Dr Nye added. “All communication to and from the brain for example movement, bodily functions etc run through the brain steam first so any damage here is devastating for the individual.
“Locked-in syndrome is essentially where a patient is aware of there surroundings and have full consciousness but cannot move or communicate verbally due to complete paralysis of nearly all voluntary muscles in the body, except for vertical eye movements and blinking.
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“Some patients do retain some facial muscle movement and may retain some sensation in their limbs but crucially have no movement at all below the neck.”
While we know Emily was able to track things with her eyes back in May, there’s no been no official update to indicate her progress. But, if she is still conscious and aware, Dr Nye said not being able to touch or speak to the people she loves most will be an “awful experience”.
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Some patients suffering with locked-in syndrome have been able to develop a level of communication via blinking and eye movements Dr Nye said, however, almost all patients “regain no control of their muscles”.
He added: “She may never recover past this stage and that is the more likely outcome. Being able to fully move and gain normality is extremely unlikely and would take years of intensive work to make any progress. It all depends on her specific damage. There are some very exceptional cases which have seen patients go on to make a recovery.”
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Emily’s stepdad Michael Willis confirmed in March that Emily was in rehab for eight days before suffering a cardiac arrest while in treatment, reports TMZ. And while police initially believed the 25-year-old was taken ill as a result of a “overdose”, Michael said doctors confirmed the early toxicology screen came back negative.
Michael told the outlet Emily weighed only 80 pounds (5st 7lbs) when she checked herself into the facility. While this is alarming, it is not clear if her weight played a part in her falling seriously ill. He added Emily was focussed on getting healthy and “very open” about seeking treatment for her “substance abuse problem”.
Dr Nye said being malnourished or having a history of substance abuse may have led to the initial cardiac arrest, but “wouldn’t have necessarily led to this outcome”. He added: “The malnourishment may have limited the ability for the body to recover further than others but again, the damage to the brain in this way is independent from the lifestyle.”
A GoFundMe set up by Emily’s family to aid her recovery has nearly reached $90,000.
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