The family of AVN-winning porn star Emily Willis is offering fans a look into her grueling recovery after she suffered devastating brain damage while at a rehab facility in Malibu, according to a report.
Willis’ mother, Yesenia Cooper, sued Malibu Lighthouse Treatment Center in 2024 after her daughter was found unresponsive inside her room there. She alleged Willis was left permanently disabled and in a vegetative state while she was being treated for ketamine addiction at Summit Malibu, and earlier this week, she reached a US$3mil settlement with the facility.
Cooper on Tuesday revealed to TMZ that her daughter is slowly healing, telling the outlet that while she is nonverbal, she is still able to communicate with her eyes and by shaking her head. She said Willis had to undergo 10 surgeries to get to this point, noting that the former adult entertainer is aware of what’s going on about 80% of the time. Her mother added that Willis is now once again able to enjoy movies and television shows she once loved.
While Willis still needs help to eat, she is learning how to walk again and working hard with therapists in Mexico to achieve the best quality of life she can. Her mother added that it is possible the actress will require additional surgeries, and they are think of traveling to Spain to undergo new neurological procedures intended to stimulate the brain systems that control speech, communication, and movement.
Willis — whose real name Litzy Lara Banuelos — checked into the the Malibu rehab in January 2024, but her health rapidly declined soon after. Weeks after checking in, she was found unconscious in her room after suffering a cardiac arrest. Before that, she went some 30 to 40 minutes without oxygen.
An early toxicology report found no drugs in Willis’ system at the time. - New York Daily News/Tribune News Service
