Featured Image Credit: Instagram/emilywillisx3
Topics: Emily Willis, Adult Industry, US News, Celebrity, Health
Ellie Kemp
Topics: Emily Willis, Adult Industry, US News, Celebrity, Health
After Emily Willis' attorney gave a major update on the former adult star last week, we've rounded up everything we know about her health battle so far.
The former adult industry star, now 26, suffered a heart attack and fell into a 'vegetative coma' while staying at a rehab center last February.
She's now 'permanently disabled,' with her worried family filing a lawsuit against her rehab center Summit Malibu back in January.
Willis had built up a large following after starring in more than 700 pornography videos, starting out in the industry in 2018.
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On January 27 2024, Willis sought help for her 'ketamine addiction' from drug rehabilitation center Summit Malibu in Los Angeles.
The lawsuit filed by her family explains how the former 'Female Performer of the Year' ingested some 'five to six grams' of the drug every day for a year.
After checking into the facility, her health is alleged to have rapidly deteriorated.
She was barely eating, showering or even getting dressed, the lawsuit details - adding that in one instance, a nurse was unable to take her blood pressure due to 'dehydration'.
On February 3, emergency services were called, but Willis was reportedly not taken to hospital; 26 hours later, she was 'found unconscious', though it wasn't clear how long she was left unattended.
Nurses and paramedics performed CPR for 30 to 40 minutes until they restored her heartbeat, yet the lawsuit states the lengthly time she was left without oxygen caused 'irreversible brain damage'.
Willis - real name Litzy Lara Banuelos - fell into a 'vegetative coma' following the unexpected cardiac arrest.
She didn't wake from it until three months later in May.
Her brother, Michael, revealed in a March 2024 update on Willis' GoFundMe that she'd retired from the adult industry almost two years ago - so, sometime in 2022.
Michael said she had 'aspirations of success in other fields of entertainment,' adding: "Those who worked with her in her new career path knew she had the potential to achieve her dreams."
Willis was cast in the 2023 Eddie Alcazar movie Divinity, which she was keen to promote via her Instagram.
Legal action is now being taken against Malibu Lighthouse Treatment Centers, which owns the rehab facility she visited, with the family of Willis claiming its staff 'failed' to take appropriate action as her health plummeted over the course of several days in its care.
The complaint states the rehab 'failed' to provide her with adequate care up until the incident, amounting to 'neglect, abandonment, recklessness and negligence', and that staff should have known her health was at risk based on her medical history and assessments.
It states Willis was subjected to an 'unsafe environment' and was 'left unattended and unassisted for excessively long periods of time'.
"Had the staff followed standard medical protocols, Emily would have had the opportunity to regain control of her life," claimed Attorney James A. Morris, of Morris Law Firm - the team representing Willis and her guardian.
After spending months in hospital, Willis is now being cared for by her mom in Utah, Morris said in an update to the Daily Star.
However, she still needs to return to hospital 'from time to time' to 'have more care than she can receive at home.'
Despite being declared 'permanently disabled,' Morris confirmed Willis can now 'move her body somewhat'.
He revealed: "She does make outward noises from time to time, she does move her body around some, but her eyes do move, she does track, whether or not she's understanding exactly what's going on is hard for us to determine, I don't know.
"We are retaining a physiatrist to work as an expert witness on our case who will go to Utah examine her and hopefully be able to give us more info about his expert opinion to what extent she understands what's happening around her."
Willis' family is waiting for locked-in syndrome results
While it was previously speculated Willis could've developed locked-in syndrome - a rare neurological disorder characterized by complete paralysis of voluntary muscles, except for those that control your eyes - Morris confirmed she 'hasn't been diagnosed yet'.
"I will preface that by saying we have not received the medical records [...] yet," he told the publication. "But yes, we are investigating that and drilling down on that. We are aware that it is certainly a possibility."
Willis is also physically 'not in good shape' after losing 'a great deal of weight' and not being able to move much, Morris explained.
Despite this, he remained hopeful and spoke of Willis' determination.
He resolved: "Her physical condition is not good, her mental condition is unknown, but she's still here. I think that in and of itself says something about her resilience and her desire to live.
"And with modern medicine and the advances that we have in science, we can all hope that Litzy gets back to the functioning level that makes her life worthwhile."
UNILAD has previously contacted Summit Malibu for comment.