Evangeline Lilly confirms she sustained brain damage from traumatic injury last year
Evangeline Lilly is sharing an update on her health following an unfortunate accident in May 2025.
In an Instagram video posted on Friday, Jan. 2, the 46-year-old "Lost" star shared that she has sustained brain damage after she fell and hit her head on a boulder last year.
"Verdict's in... I do have brain damage from my tbi," she wrote in the caption. "Comforting to know my cognitive decline isn't just peri-menopause, discomforting to know what an uphill battle it will be to try to reverse the deficiencies. Thank you all for always asking, for always caring, and for your continued prayers ????."
In the video, the actress shared that she is "entering into this new year, the year of the horse with some bad news about my concussion," and acknowledged the fans who have continued to ask her to share updates on her health.
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"The results came back from the scans, and almost every area in my brain is functioning at a decreased capacity," she said. "So I do have brain damage from the TBI, and possibly other factors going on."
She added that her job now is to focus on her recovery, saying she and her doctors "need to get to the bottom of that" and she has to "embark on the hard work of fixing it."
Although she has a long road ahead of her, Lilly was able to look on the bright side, admitting she had "a more restful finish" to the year than she would have otherwise due to her injury.
"My cognitive decline since I smashed my face open has helped me to slow down and helped me to have a more restful finish to my 2025," she said. "I think this was the calmest, most restful Christmas holiday I have had maybe since I had children, so 14 years ago. So that's a good thing."
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Lilly then thanked her fans for caring about her condition and ended by expressing how "extraordinarily grateful and blessed" she feels "to be able to play one more day and one more year on this beautiful living planet."
Michelle Pfeiffer, who starred with Lilly in "Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania," took to the comments section to wish her former co-star well, writing, "You are a warrior. Nothing-not even this will defeat you my friend. ❤️"
The actress first spoke about her injury in May 2025, sharing a photo of herself with a bloody face on Substack, writing: "I fainted at the beach. And fell face first into a boulder." She shared more photos on Instagram later, which showcased her bloody nose, injuries on her chin and a swollen lip.
In the post, she shared that doctors initially were more concerned about why she blacked out and fainted than treating her injuries, but revealed that she’s had "absent" and "fainting spells" since childhood. Despite having multiple blackout episodes, she explains doctors have never been able to tell her why.
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"My partner says that when I black out, I look like I die," she wrote on Substack. "He gets very afraid. My eyes roll back in my head and all life leaves my body. He is constantly checking my nose and mouth for breath. This time was no exception. He wasn’t with me at the beach, but on the way to the hospital I blacked out again."