Sports fan, 32, develops devastating locked-in syndrome after feeling ‘dizzy’…now he can only communicate by blinking

A British fitness enthusiast has been left ‘locked’ in his own body after developing a rare condition that has left his entire body paralysed.

The only muscles Oli Coppock, 32, can still move are in his eyes, which he uses to communicate by blinking.

The Warrington-based digital marketer began feeling ‘dizzy and tired’ in May this year, went into cardiac arrest and became unresponsive shortly afterwards.

Doctors discovered he had developed hydrocephalus — fluid on the brain that normally responds well to a procedure to drain the fluid.

However, the condition had disastrous consequences for Oli: he soon became paralysed and could no longer eat, speak or move.

Oli also relies on a tracheostomy to support his breathing and is fed through a tube.

His condition is known as locked-in syndrome, a term used to describe diseases in which the brainstem is damaged to the point of complete paralysis of the body.

His girlfriend Beth, 33, said: ‘He can wiggle his fingers a bit and sometimes shrug his shoulders to say no.

‘Otherwise everything is fine, he can still understand everything I say to him.

‘When I say, “Oli, do you remember when we went to Benalmadena?” and he blinks.

‘I know he doesn’t like bananas, so I ask him and he shrugs and says no.

‘Or when I ask him if he likes steak, he blinks.

“It’s like he’s on life support, because he can’t do anything but blink, listen and watch. His only entertainment is visitors and listening to music.”

Oli’s ordeal began in the middle of last year when he was shocked to be diagnosed with a brain tumor.

However, the cancer grew slowly and after surgery to remove the tumour and six weeks of radiotherapy, he recovered well and returned to the gym to continue his fitness routine.

‘“He recovered right away,” Beth said.Everything was back to normal: he was walking, very active and doing a bit of DJing to earn some extra money.

‘We even went to Spain once, and he did pull-ups in the park.’

But in May this year, Oli started experiencing headaches, dizziness and fatigue.

Initially, he was rejected by doctors, but after his family pleaded for medical help, Oli was admitted to the hospital.

It was then discovered that he had fluid on his brain. Within a day he went into cardiac arrest and became unresponsive.

Oli has now been diagnosed with locked-in syndrome.

Beth is ‘heartbroken’ as she thought they could ‘move on’ with their lives after the tumour was removed.

She said: ‘It’s just heartbreaking. I’ve been with him through the diagnosis of the brain tumour and when he was told it had grown and whether he needed surgery or not.

‘He was told there was a chance he might not be able to breathe or might need a tracheostomy, but we were told this could all be temporary.

‘We never thought that all this would happen to him.

“He came out of the operating room and we thought he was a real warrior. That was it and we moved on with our lives.”

Beth met Oli four years ago on the dating app Hinge and described him as “a lovely person” with “lots of friends”.

“You couldn’t say a bad word about him,” she said.

“He was the nicest person you could ever meet, everyone said that. He’s just amazing.

‘The most annoying thing is when I say to him, “Oli, are you okay?” and he blinks his eyes to say he’s okay, even when he’s not.’

Oli’s family and friends are concerned that he will be discharged from hospital and placed in a care home for the ‘rest of his life’.

They now have a Go finance me page to pray for Oli’s rehabilitation, with the aim that he would get better in the future through admission to a private clinic.

Beth said, “The doctors haven’t said it yet, but we’re worried he’ll end up in a nursing home, which is not what he needs.”

‘He should not be left in a nursing home for the rest of his life at the age of 32.

“We don’t even know when he’s going to be discharged. It could be soon, it could be a few months from now. So we’re just living day by day.”