Perez Hilton’s brother-in-law reveals new details about his injuries and recovery

It’s been more than 20 days since Perez Hilton’s livestream crisis, and his family is now revealing more about what his recovery looks like behind the scenes. While the 48-year-old blogger has spent the past several weeks dealing with serious physical injuries, his brother-in-law says Hilton is now beginning to focus more closely on his mental health.

Tom, who is married to Hilton’s youngest sister, Barbara Lavandeira, shared the update Monday on The Perez Hilton Podcast with Chris Booker, explaining that Hilton had been receiving treatment for the physical injuries he suffered during the Aug. 4 incident for weeks. It had been previously reported that he would need surgery. 

Tom described the injuries as stemming from “the cutting” and a “couple of falls that happened during this process.” Among those injuries are broken bones and other complications connected to Hilton’s previous battle with sepsis.

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After more than two weeks, the family is preparing for what Tom described as a deeper phase of Hilton’s recovery. “So, we are now just transitioning into the mental side of things,” he said.

Hilton has already been receiving psychiatric care during his hospitalization, with doctors checking in on him and making sure he is not at risk of harming himself. But Tom said the family still does not know what ultimately caused the crisis. “The actual healing, or digging into what caused this mental break as I’ve called it, hasn’t been discovered,” Tom said. “I don’t know if it will ever be.”

There has been speculation that Hilton experienced sepsis psychosis because of his history with the life-threatening infection, but Tom emphasized that no such diagnosis has been officially made.

For now, Tom said Hilton is “lucid.” Still, the family has been cautious about revisiting what happened that night. “I don’t know how much he does or doesn’t recall,” Tom said.

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Tom explained that he does not want to “trigger any anxiety for him,” and instead wants to allow Hilton to concentrate on getting better before they begin digging into what happened.  “We will get into that more once he’s in that setting, where we’re focusing on his mental health,” he said.

Hilton’s hospital stay has also meant being separated from his three children because they are not allowed in the section of the hospital where he is receiving treatment.

According to Tom, Hilton has also spoken about his children and the mindset he was in during the crisis. “He thought he was doing what was best for the children … At that time, that’s what he thought,” Tom said.

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But his family has since tried to reassure him about his relationship with his children. “His kids adore him, and he’s been a present father,” Tom said.

Teresita Lavandeira was granted temporary custody of his children on Aug. 18, while Hilton was granted supervised visitation, according to court documents reported by TMZ. But Hilton must receive “psychiatric clearance” before those visits can take place.

His family initially asked for privacy following the hospitalization, thanking supporters for the “overwhelming outpouring of love, support, and prayers.” They also previously confirmed that Hilton was able to communicate as he continued his recovery.

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Despite everything he has been through, Tom said Hilton has not lost his connection to the career that has defined much of his life. “He still has love for the entertainment industry,” Tom said. But figuring out how to return to that part of his life and “the best ways to cope with that” will be part of Hilton’s recovery moving forward.