Another doctor has agreed with the Daily Star’s expert who revealed Emily Willis is suffering from ‘locked-in syndrome’, adding she may never be able to walk again
Ex-adult star Emily Willis “may never walk again” according to a doctor who doubled down on the Daily Star’s exclusive interview with an expert who believes she is suffering from “locked-in syndrome” following a cardiac arrest.
Doctor Gareth Nye exclusively told the 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.
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Dr Nye added that she’ll likely not be able breathe independently again. Now another doctor has examined Emily’s condition based on Dr Nye’s belief that she is suffering from “locked-in syndrome”. Dr Hofeldt, a board certified health expert, said while there is a chance Emily could recover, the chances are “poor”. She told the Mirror “it would be very unusual for her to be able to walk again independently”.
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Dr Hofeldt agreed with reports covered by the Star that Emily’s condition post-coma could be locked-in syndrome. Dr Nye told us 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.”
READ MORE:Adult star Emily Willis has ‘locked-in syndrome’ and ‘may never move a muscle again’
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.”
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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 still 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 29) and fans are hoping her family will provide some kind of update around that time.
