'My niece, 22, went to sleep as normal — and woke to find half of her face paralysed'

'My niece, 22, went to sleep as normal — and woke to find half of her face paralysed' Lillie Thorne, who is a healthcare assistant from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, lost the ability to speak and walk and, after extensive investigations, was diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) A young woman has been left unable to walk after she woke up to find half of her face "paralysed". Lillie Thorne, 22, went to bed as normal, but when she woke, she found the left side of her face drooping and unable to move. 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 remains too unwell to speak, but her aunt, Ashleigh Thorne, 35, described the devastating impact of her sudden illness. She said: “What is so heartbreaking is that it is completely random. It came out of nowhere. She was fit and healthy before. She loved travelling and had only returned from a family holiday to Turkey a couple of weeks earlier. “Doctors don't know what caused it, which makes it all such a mystery. To see her as a shell of her former self has been heartbreaking for everyone. She is staying very positive and has a great sense of humour, which is helping her get through it.” Lillie's ordeal began on Thursday October 1, when she went to bed as normal after spending the day cleaning her newly renovated first home during a day off work. However, when she woke up the following morning, Friday October 2, she discovered that one side of her face was paralysed. She attended A&E at Furness General Hospital that day, where she was diagnosed with Bell's palsy — a condition that causes temporary weakness or paralysis, usually affecting one side of the face. According to Ashleigh, Lillie had been feeling perfectly well and had experienced no symptoms before becoming ill. She was prescribed steroids and told it could take up to six months for her condition to return to normal before being sent home. But the following day, Lillie was rushed back to hospital after she began slurring her words. Doctors carried out a CT scan to investigate whether she had suffered a stroke, but found no evidence of one. She was subsequently prescribed antiviral medication after doctors suspected she could be suffering from Ramsay Hunt syndrome. Despite the treatment, however, Ashleigh said Lillie's condition continued to deteriorate, eventually resulting in her admission to hospital. By Wednesday October 7, she had lost the ability to speak and walk. She also began experiencing up to 30 seizures a day, some of which left her unresponsive, according to her family. Her mum, Helen Lancaster, 45, and stepdad, Antony Thorne, 45, remained by her side throughout the ordeal. Following numerous investigations and assessments, doctors eventually diagnosed Lillie with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND). According to the NHS, FND affects the way the brain sends and receives information to the rest of the body. The condition is estimated to affect between 50,000 and 100,000 people in the UK, according to charity FND Action. Though Lillie was discharged from hospital on October 22, she continues to experience seizures. To donate to the family's GoFundMe, use this link.