After undergoing surgery on Nov. 4, the soap star's mother says it's not looking like he'll get his upper body function back.
Soap star Nathaniel Marston still has a tough road ahead of him after a single-car crash on October 30 in Nevada left him critically injured.
In a press release to ET, Marston's mother, Elizabeth Jackson, says the actor underwent a surgery on Nov. 4, but it did not go as planned. "In the early morning hours of November 5 his heart stopped on two separate occasions requiring doctors to use an external pacemaker to regulate his heartbeat," Jackson explains. "He remains in critical condition, fighting pneumonia, a heart infection and irregular pulse. The relatively positive prognosis which followed his previous surgery has dimmed."
WATCH: Soap Star Nathaniel Marston May Have Fallen Asleep at the Wheel in Horrific Car Crash
Marston, best known for his roles on One Life to Live and As the World Turns, also appears to have "extremely severe" damage to his vertebrae. "It is now believed that the hope of recovering upper body function was premature and that Marston will most likely live out his life as a quadriplegic," Jackson adds.
Marston's mother remains "optimistic" as her son is awake and communicating. "[He is] able to mouth sentences since having the breathing tube removed from his mouth and relocated to his throat via a tracheotomy," Jackson says.
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In a status update to Facebook late Tuesday evening, Jackson added that Marston is expected to go in for surgery on Wednesday to reduce pressure on the brain.
Since the accident, a GoFundMe has been created to "pay monthly bills as well as any unexpected expenses as they occur" now that Marston has been hospitalized. The site has already raised over $6,600. The actor's last feature film, Walk A Mile In My Pradas, has also agreed to donate any proceeds from the film's DVD sales to Marston and his family.
"Thank you soo much for your love , kindness, prayers and positive and generous support,” Jackson said on Facebook.
