A “fit and healthy” young woman has been left unable to walk after she woke up to find half of her face “paralyzed.”
Lillie Thorne, 22, went to sleep as normal, but when she woke up, she found the left side of her face drooping and unable to move.
And tragically, just days later, the healthcare assistant also lost the ability to speak and walk.
Doctors later diagnosed Lillie, from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) following extensive investigations.
Her family is currently crowdfunding to help raise funds for private treatment as she doesn’t meet the threshold for specialist help under the NHS.
Lillie is still too ill to speak, but her aunt, Ashleigh Thorne, 35, said: “What is so heartbreaking is that it is completely random, it came out of nowhere.
“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.
“Doctors don’t know what caused it, making it all a big mystery.
“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.”
Lillie went to bed on Thursday, October 1, as normal after spending the day cleaning her newly renovated first home whilst on a day off from work.
But when she woke up the next day, Friday, October 2, she found her face paralyzed.
The same day, she visited the A&E at Furness General Hospital, where she was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy – a temporary weakness or lack of movement that usually affects one side of the face, according to the NHS.
Ashleigh has revealed her niece was “feeling fine” and had no symptoms before falling ill.
She was prescribed steroids and told it could take six months before she is back to normal, before being sent home.
The next day she went back to the hospital after she began slurring her words.
Doctors conducted a CT Scan to test for a stroke, but doctors said there was no indication she suffered one.
She was then given antiviral medication to treat Ramsey Hunt disease, which they thought she might have developed.
However, despite taking the medications, Ashleigh has revealed her condition kept “getting worse,” and she was later admitted to the hospital.
And by Wednesday, October 7, she had lost her ability to speak and walk.
She then began to suffer from up to 30 seizures a day, with some leaving her unresponsive, according to the family.
Her mom, Helen Lancaster, 45, and step-dad Antony Thorne, 45, were by her side the whole time.
Following numerous investigations and following an assessments by doctors, they diagnosed her with FND.
FND is often described as a problem with how the brain receives and sends information to the rest of the body, according to the NHS.
It is thought to affect at least 50,000–100,000 people in the UK, according to charity FND Action.
Lillie was discharged on October 22, but still suffers from seizures. She has since regained her ability to speak, but still slurs her words and stutters.
She is currently living with her grandparents in their bungalow alongside her boyfriend, 28-year-old Marc.
Ashleigh has said doctors aren’t certain what caused the Bell’s palsy but say the FND might have been caused as a “stress side effect.”
But she is still unable to walk and has been referred for physiotherapy to help her regain mobility and independence, although it is currently unclear how effective this will be.
Her family launched a GoFundMe appeal to help pay for specialist treatment in Leeds.
According to her family, Lillie does not meet the threshold for the specialist NHS service in Liverpool, so they are considering private consultation and rehabilitation.
Ashleigh 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.
“Treatment for FND focuses on retraining the brain and nervous system using a team of specialists to help sufferers regain control of their movements.
“Unfortunately, there are no specialist centers that are funded by our ICB, so this is where most of the funds will be going.”
Money raised will go towards private specialist consultations and rehabilitation as well as travel to appointments in Leeds and other treatment-related costs.
Her family hopes the treatment will help Lillie work towards regaining her speech, mobility and independence.
