Emily Willis ‘could by no means breathe independently once more’ with birthday across the nook

Ex-adult star Emily Willis “may never breathe independently again” as a doctor reveals he still believes the actress is suffering from “locked-in syndrome” following a cardiac arrest.

Doctor Gareth Nye exclusively told the Daily Star that it looks as though Emily will live a life a far cry from the glamourous one she previously knew at the height of her fame, that’s if she’s able to fully recover at all. Dr Nye revealed he believes she is battling “locked-in syndrome” after being subject to “brain damage” following her cardiac arrest in February.

He said there are now further concerns surrounding the star’s recovery because it is “harder for a patient to come back” to their former level of health when they’ve been in an “immobile or vegetative state” for a long time. While there’s been no official word since May on how she’s doing since waking from the coma, Dr Nye said: “The longer a patient remains in a immobile or vegetative state, the harder it is for that patient to come back to their previous level of health.

“[What is] of concern is the breakdown and loss of muscle mass. There are studies suggesting that people admitted to ICU or are in a coma-like state lose around 2% of their muscle mass per day.

“This has a huge impact on future mobility but crucially impacts the muscles which help with our breathing. If they breakdown sufficiently, it can be near impossible for patients to ever come off ventilation systems and breathe independently.”

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.

Dr Nye previously told us Emily “will [likely] never recover” past the stage of making only simple eye and facial movements. “What we are seeing here is the damage to the brain following a lack of oxygen after the cardiac arrest,” he said. “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”.

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”.

Emily’s birthday is just around the corner (December 28) and fans are hoping her family will provide some kind of update around that time.

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