A "fit and healthy" healthcare assistant went to bed last month as usual. When the 22-year-old awoke on Oct. 2, half her face was "paralyzed."
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What Happened to the Healthcare Assistant?
As the New York Post reports, days after she became unable to move the left side of her face, Lillie Thorne was unable to speak or walk. She also began to suffer nearly 30 seizures a day.
After undergoing numerous extensive tests, doctors later diagnosed the Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, native with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND). Lillie's parents were at her side the whole time.
According to the National Institutes of Health, FND is a neurological condition that is caused by changes in the workings of the brain's networks. The exact cause of FND is unknown, but its symptoms are real. They include difficulty moving or speaking, seizure-like episodes, dizziness, pain, and numbness.
"What is so heartbreaking is that it is completely random. It came out of nowhere," says Lillie's aunt, Ashleigh Thorne. "She was fit and healthy before. She loved traveling; in fact, she had only just come back from a family trip to Turkey a couple of weeks before."
Her aunt then added, "But to see her as a shell of her normal self has been heartbreaking for everyone. She is staying very positive and has a great sense of humor, which is helping her get through it."
The Young Woman Is Trying To Move on After Being Paralyzed
Lillie was discharged from the hospital on Oct. 22. She can speak again, but she still slurs her words and stutters. She is currently living with her grandparents and her 28-year-old boyfriend.
Lillie is still unable to walk. She has been referred to a physiotherapist to help her regain her mobility, though it is unclear how effective it will be.
Lillie's family says she does not meet the threshold for specialist NHS care in Liverpool, so they are considering private consultation and rehabilitation. A GoFundMe has been set up to help pay for treatment.
Her aunt said, "I think I speak for the whole family and Lillie's close friends when we say it's been hard to see Lillie go from a normal 22-year-old to being unable to walk and suffering from multiple seizures a day. I don't think a lot of people know what FND really is, and more awareness is needed of this horrendous disorder."
