EXCLUSIVE: The Daily Star has compiled everything we know about ex-adult star Emily Willis’ health – as the family reach out for more financial help to fund her expensive medical treatment
Popular ex-adult performer Emily Willis may live the rest of her life not being able to move properly or speak, and having round-the-clock care following a tragic incident that her family say could have been avoided altogether.
The beautiful Emily, whose real name is Litzy Lara Banuelos, once lived a life most would dream of – filled with fame, fortune, and friends who loved her dearly. That life is one she can never expect to live again as she will most likely spend the majority of her days being cared for within the four walls of her mum’s home – potentially completely unaware of what is going on around her.
Emily arrived at Summit Malibu rehab on January 27 with a view to turning her life around having suffered with a ketamine addiction. This was surely a place she believed could help her regain control of her life, but days later on February 4 – her existence would be forever changed.
With Emily’s family now having filed a lawsuit against the facility alleging they neglected Emily in the days leading up to her cardiac arrest, the Daily Star has compiled everything we know about the star’s health – as the family reach out for more financial help. Emily was an adult actress, but she’s still a human.
Permanently disabled
The family of Emily have called upon the help of lawyer James Morris who is representing them in a lawsuit against Summit Malibu rehab centre. They claim Emily was clean of ketamine on arrival and throughout her stay.
Mr Morris said Emily is now permanently disabled as a result of an anoxic brain injury after she was left without oxygen for too long following the medical crash.
Emily arrived at Summit Malibu on January 27, 2024, but on February 4 a nurse practitioner found her unconscious. While it is unclear how long she had been in this state before being discovered, the nurse called 911, started CPR and called others to assist.
Paramedics are said to have performed CPR for between 30 and 40 minutes before obtaining a heartbeat, but by then the lack of oxygen to her brain for such a long time left Emily paralysed.
Being cared for by mum at home
Mr Morris confirmed Emily is now being cared for by her mum at home in Utah. He told us: “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.”
Asked if Emily can communicate in any way, he said: “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’.”
Can move some and make noises
Emily’s lawyer confirmed to us that she can now “move her body somewhat” and “make outward noises” in a major health update.
Mr Morris 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 and hopefully be able to give us more info about his expert opinion to what extent she understands what’s happening around her.”
Locked-in syndrome?
Mr Morris further confirmed that doctors are scrambling to diagnose her medical condition, and that locked-in syndrome could well be a possibility. Locked-in syndrome is a rare neurological disorder that causes paralysis of almost all voluntary muscles, except for those that control eye movement.
Asked if Emily had been diagnosed with locked-in syndrome, James Morris told us: “Emily hasn’t been diagnosed with locked-in syndrome yet but I will preface that by saying we have not received the medical records […] yet.
“We’ve ordered them and as soon as we see them we’ll be able to see what the neurologist on charge or at the hospital that day had to say about her condition, and whether or not she does have the locked-in syndrome.
“But yes, we are investigating that and drilling down on that. We are aware that it is certainly a possibility.”
‘Not in good shape’
Because Emily has now been paralysed for more than one year so has continued to lose weight. The star was around 100lbs (7st) when she entered the facility, so to lose even more weight would make the star extremely frail.
Mr Morris said: “Her physical being is not in good shape, she’s lost a great deal of weight and is unable to of course [move much] at all.
“And so 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.”
GoFundMe help for Emily
Emily’s family – including her mum Yesenia Cooper – have expressed their appreciation to everyone who has donated to the GoFundMe cause, which has now reached more than $100,000. However, due to the incredibly expensive care Emily requires, they do need further financial help. You can donate here.
Mr Morris said: “It’s unfortunate but the cost of the type of treatment that she needs is quite expensive, so it has been very very warming to the hearts of her loved ones that people have reached out, people have been kind in this manner.
“Honestly, her mum sits there and reads to her the notes and the emails that have come in due to the media coverage. She was a wonderful young lady who was doing the best that she could to make it in this world with what she had.
“She was a very determined person and like many people in this industry, drugs can be an overwhelming barricade to a wonderful career and wonderful life, oftentimes.”
Summit Malibu has not responded to requests for comment.