A doctor has shared a worrying theory about former porn star Emily Willis, who remains in hospital and can reportedly only move her eyes.
The healthy 25-year-old fell into a coma following an unexpected cardiac arrest earlier this year.
In February, former porn star Emily Willis fell into a ‘vegetative coma’ in February and didn’t wake from it until May.
Since then it has been reported that she has been unable to move and is only able to track things with her eyes.
Porn star Emily Willis has been hospitalized since February (emilywillisx3/Instagram)
Dr Gareth Nye, Programme Lead for Medical Science at the University of Chester in the UK, has spoken out about her condition and suggests it could be ‘locked-in syndrome’.
He told the Daily Star: “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.”
is a ‘rare and serious neurological disorder that happens when a part of your brainstem is damaged, usually from a stroke’, the Clevland Clinic states.
People who suffer from this disorder can experience total body paralysis, even though they are still conscious, and with their normal cognitive abilities.
Emily Willis was in a coma from February until May (GoFundMe)
Those who have locked-in syndrome cannot chew, swallow, speak, make any facial expression, or move anything below their eyes, but most people with LiS can move their eyes up and down and side to side.
They can also blink, hear, and understand what people are saying and their situation.
Now, Dr Nye has provided an update on Willis’ case, despite her not being in his care, as he provides her fans a heartbreaking theory as he told the newspaper the adult film star ‘may never breathe independently again’.
He 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.
Willis is only able to move her eyes since waking from the coma (Unique Nicole/Getty Images)
“[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 two percent 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.”
A GoFundMe has been set up to support Willis, who joined the adult film industry in 2017 and has been involved in over 700 productions. For more information, visit the page.
