@Peanut Butter , Sorry it's taken me so long to get a chance to reply to this. Don't give up hope. Your friend's stroke sounds more severe than mine. I woke up & felt the symptoms start & got to the ER so I didn't sleep for 2 days. My right side wasn't completely paralyzed but barely mobile. I could barely lift my right hand/arm waist high & even with a walker was literally dragging my right leg & couldn't stand up, get out of bed, sit down or lie down without help. My vision was doubled because my eyes wouldn't track together & my mouth drooped so bad my speech was barely understandable. They told me I'd never walk without a walker again & might even lose that ability. As you've seen, none of that was true.
One of the big keys is to start rehab immediately. Anything that can be done. Even if it's using one arm if he can't get up. I had a nurse in the ICU that was insistent, thank God. Had me dragging my leg with that walker around the ICU less than 2 hrs after I arrived. Wouldn't let up no matter how much I screamed & cried. At the rehab center< I saw an immense difference between those that pushed hard immediately & those who "waited until they recovered a little more" before starting. It seems the stroke causes the brain & body to not communicate well anymore & the longer you wait to reestablish that "connection" the less comes back. They hooked my right leg to an electric shock machine to make the muscles spasm & there was a tone with every shock & I would try to make the leg move in a specific direction each time. I'd be there with tears rolling down my face but it worked. No one, not doctors or rehab staff, could believe how much I recovered.
Not bragging, just want you, your friend & your families to not give up hope. His situation sounds worse than mine, but it can improve. If you or your friend (or his family) wants to talk about more of this, just reach out. You've got my number.