Emily Willis’ life after ‘mind injury’ might be very totally different – if she recovers

Ex-adult star Emily Willis will live a life a far cry from the glamourous one she once knew before waking from a vegetative coma – that’s if she manages to recover at all.

That’s the opinion of a doctor who exclusively told the Daily Star he believed Emily was now suffering from “locked-in syndrome” after been subject to “brain damage” following her cardiac arrest in February.

All updates on Emily’s health from her family came to a halt back in May when they confirmed she had woken from the coma after being rushed to a medical facility in Thousand Oaks, California, on February 5. At the time they said she had regained consciousness but remained unable to speak and could only track objects with her eyes.

READ MORE: Adult star Emily Willis has ‘locked-in syndrome’ and ‘may never move a muscle again’

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Gareth Nye – Programme Lead for Medical Science at the University of Chester – gave us his expert take on the tragic situation and, sadly, Emily’s future looks as though she will need round-the-clock care due to not being able to speak or move a muscle.

Dr Nye explained he believed Emily was suffering with “locked-in syndrome” and added it was “likely she will never recover” past the stage of making only simple eye and facial movements.

“She may never recover past this stage and that is the more likely outcome,” Dr Nye told the Star. “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. 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.”

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.

“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.

“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”.

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.”

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”.

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