Emily Willis's family has shared an update on her condition after it was revealed that she has locked-in syndrome after suffering a cardiac arrest.
The adult star, 25, remains in a semi-conscious state following a cardiac arrest at a rehab facility in early 2024.
Willis, real name Litzy Lara Banuelos, had checked into the Summit Malibu rehab center on January 27, 2024, seeking help for a severe ketamine addiction.
However, according to a lawsuit brought against the center and its parent company Malibu Lighthouse Treatment Centers, LLC, Willis was discovered unconscious by a nurse practitioner on February 4, 2024.
Paramedics performed CPR on her for 30 to 40 minutes, finally restoring a heartbeat. However, the prolonged lack of oxygen to her brain left her comatose and "permanently disabled".
Willis's family has shared an update on her condition, a year after her cardiac arrest.
As reported by the Daily Star, the family's lawyer James A. Morris Jr. from Morris Law Firm revealed that while locked-in syndrome can not be cured, Willis has now regained the ability to "move her body somewhat" and "make outward noises".
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."
He added: "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'.
"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."
Morris also revealed that the family has retained a physiatrist as an expert witness, who they hope will give them more information on "what extent she understands what's happening around her".
Willis had sought help at the rehab center after reportedly consuming "five to six grams daily" of ketamine, leading to debilitating side effects such as urinary incontinence and night terrors.
Court documents cited by the Daily Star revealed that Willis had previously been diagnosed with major depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, and PTSD, and was already on anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medication.
Her family has filed a lawsuit against Summit Malibu and its parent company, Malibu Lighthouse Treatment Centers, LLC, as reported by the Daily Mail, bringing forth serious accusations, including "abuse of a dependent adult, professional negligence, negligence, and fraudulent business practices".
The suit states that drug tests upon her admission to the facility showed no ketamine or other substances in her system, and she continued to test clean in the following days, despite her "rapidly failing health,” which raised further questions about the circumstances surrounding her cardiac arrest.
It claims she soon became "disheveled, frail, and disoriented" and struggled to walk. She was also reportedly "barely eating, not showering or getting dressed" and "suffered from aches, tremors, spasms, weakness, appeared to be in pain, and experienced vaginal pain".
Morris, representing Emily and her guardian Yesenia Lara Cooper, stated: “Eventually she grew so dehydrated that a nurse could not measure her blood pressure.
“By this time her acute medical distress had been recorded and yet they left the decision to go to an urgent care up to a patient who was suffering incredible pain and could not care for her own well-being. There is no excuse for their failure to obtain medical and psychological care,” he added.
While Willis has since regained consciousness and can track objects with her eyes, she remains unable to move or speak and requires round-the-clock
"Had the staff followed standard medical protocols, Emily would have had the opportunity to regain control of her life,” Morris said. “No patient should ever be subjected to such a horrendous breakdown in clinical care. Her health was ignored until it was too late, and now her life is forever changed."