Former US adult star Emily Willis has reportedly been left 'permanently disabled' following treatment at a rehab centre.
The 25-year-old was referred to a West Coast facility on 27 January 2024 to seek treatment for a 'ketamine addition' - after which she is said to have been left with severe damage to her brain.
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A shocking lawsuit has since been filed, pledging to take legal action against the rehabilitation facility, and providing heartbreaking details about Willis' experience.
The suit explains that she was referred to the facility after consuming a considerable 5-6 grams of ketamine per day, which resulted in side effects like bladder inflammation, urinary incontinence, and night terrors.
The adult film star - whose real name is Litzy Lara Banuelos - also had a history of depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, and PTSD, all of which she was taking regularly anti-depression and anti-anxiety medication for.
Sadly, several days after being referred, Willis suffered a cardiac arrest while staying at the centre,
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According to the facility's intake contracts, she was initially monitored by staff, who watched her health decline over several days without transferring her to a hospital.
On 4 February 2024, a nurse practitioner reportedly found Emily to be unconscious, unsure of how long she'd been left unattended.
The same nurse then apparently contacted the emergency services, who attempted to administer CPR.
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After paramedics worked on restoring a heartbeat for between 30-40 minutes, they were eventually successful.
By this point, however, Willis' brain had been deprived of oxygen for a considerable amount of time, meaning she was left with severe damage.
She currently remains semi-conscious in hospital.
The facility and its parent company have both been accused of 'abuse of a dependent adult, professional negligence, negligence and fraudulent business practices', as per a lawsuit filed on 27 December 2024.
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Willis' family's attorney James A. Morris Jr. told press of the clinical oversight he believes she suffered.
"Had the staff followed standard medical protocols, Emily would have had the opportunity to regain control of her life," he claimed.
"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."
Drug tests conducted after she was transported to hospital found that Willis hadn't taken ketamine or other substances prior to her cardiac arrest.
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The lawsuit also explains that she weighted a tiny 100lbs - not 80lbs, as incorrectly reported - and that she became 'dishevelled, frail, disoriented' with a 'nervous' mood and 'poor' insight and behaviour in the days prior.
"Eventually she grew so dehydrated that a nurse could not measure her blood pressure," her lawyer continued.
"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."
Now, following her cardiac arrest and lack of medical attention, she remains in a vegetative state, and while she can track things with her eyes, she remains unable to move or speak.
Morris Jr. added: "We hope this lawsuit will spur real change in how treatment centers handle critical cases. Too many patients who should be receiving life-saving interventions are being lost to negligence."
The rehab facility and its parent company has been contacted for comment.
Topics: US News, News, Life, Real Life, True Life, Health, Mental Health
Rhianna Benson