Update on Emily Willis' condition as adult star suffering from 'locked-in syndrome' following cardiac arrest
Emily Willis’ family have issued a major update on the former adult actress after she suffered a cardiac arrest at a rehab centre last year.
They have filed a lawsuit stating that she is now 'permanently disabled' after being without oxygen for some time.
The suit, which was filed with the Los Angeles Superior Court against Summit Malibu and its parent company Malibu Lighthouse Treatment Centers, LLC, alleges 'abuse of a dependent adult, professional negligence, negligence and fraudulent business practices'.
What happened to Emily Willis at the Summit Malibu rehab centre?
According to the documents, Willis - real name Litzy Lara Banuelos - was admitted to the rehab centre on 27 January, 2024 for a ketamine addiction, which claims she was ingesting 'five to six grams' of the drug every day.
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However, days later, Willis' condition became worse as she suffered from hot/cold chills, tremors, increased heart rate, headaches, feeling 'disorientated', difficulty walking, and vaginal pain, as per the lawsuit.
During her stay, the former star was then 'found unconscious', with nurses and paramedics administering CPR for between 30 and 40 minutes. However, the lawsuit claims that Willis was without oxygen for a long time and as a result, she suffered 'irreversible brain damage'.
The star was then hospitalised and ended up in a 'vegetative state' where she is now suffers from a rare neurological disease called 'locked-in syndrome', which means that she can only move her eyes, but not her body and she cannot speak.
An update in Emily Willis' condition
There is now a fresh update from the family, who set up a GoFundMe to help with her medical bills.
Speaking to the Daily Star, Willis’ lawyer confirmed that she has now found herself with a new ability, which could spark hope for her future.
While locked-in syndrome cannot be cured and only treated to make the patient comfortable, Willis can now ‘move her body somewhat’ and ‘make outward noises’.
James Morris explained: "She has been most recently been transferred to her mother's home, and she is there and she is being cared for by her mother.
"That may have changed in the last day or two, things are pretty fluid with regard to her care and treatment because from time to time she does need to go in [to the hospital] and have more care than she can receive at home."
'Her eyes do move, she does track'
He then explained that her abilities with communications might have changed, stating: "I believe that if you were asking her mother, her mother would say 'yes I can communicate with her and understand her albeit not in a verbal sense'."
He added: "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 and hopefully be able to give us more info about his expert opinion to what extent she understands what's happening around her."
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Topics: Adult Industry, Health, US News, Drugs, Emily Willis
Britt Jones