Emily Willis is slowly -- and her family hopes, surely -- on the road to recovery after a cardiac arrest last month left her unconscious and hospitalized in critical condition.
The 25-year-old adult film star's father, Michael, tells TMZ ... while she remains in a vegetative state, there have been notable improvements -- mainly, she's now awake and able to track things with her eyes, smile, and even become emotional during conversations.
Sadly, Michael says doctors aren't anticipating further improvement beyond what she's already achieved.
Additionally, they haven't yet identified the root cause of what led to her cardiac arrest ... especially since an early toxicology report determined there were no drugs in her system.
For now, the family's asking for prayers, which is about all they can do.
Michael also tells us they're hoping to relocate Emily to St. George, Utah, to be closer to family for ongoing care ... which will help reduce those mounting medical bills.
Earlier this month, Emily's family launched a GoFundMe to assist with medical expenses, travel, and accommodations for her family to be by her hospital side -- and the $60,000 goal has long been smashed.
TMZ broke the story ... Emily was transported to a medical facility in Thousand Oaks, CA, in early Feb. Fans have been waiting on tenterhooks since to see how she's been doing.
Goes without saying, it's a relief to hear of Emily's progress -- especially since her family was initially told to brace for the worst.