The actress opened up about the results of her brain scans following her accident in May, in which she fainted and “smashed” her head on a boulder in Hawaii, leaving her with a concussion and a traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Evangeline Lilly is sharing an update on her health after she suffered a traumatic brain injury earlier this year.
In a video posted to Instagram on Friday, the 46-year-old actress revealed she’s learned she has “brain damage” from her horrific accident in May, in which she fainted and “smashed” her head on a boulder in Hawaii, resulting in a concussion and a traumatic brain injury (TBI).
“It’s late on January 1, the first day of 2026, and I’m entering into this new year — the year of the horse — with some bad news about my concussion,” Lilly began in her video, before noting that fans have been asking for an update, including inquiries about her scans.
“The results came back from the scans, and I missed every area, and 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.”
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“Now, my job is to get to the bottom of that with the doctors, and then embark on the hard work of fixing it,” Lilly continued, “which I don’t look forward to it because I feel like hard work is all I do.”
However, the Ant-Man star said there has been a silver lining.
“My cognitive decline since I smashed my face open has helped me to slow down and helped me to have a more restful finished 2025,” she explained. “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.”
“[I’m] feeling extraordinarily grateful and blessed to be able to play one more day, one more year on this beautiful living planet. That is my concussion update,” Lily concluded. “Thank you all for caring.”
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In her caption, the Lost alum shared a “comforting” thought. “Verdict’s in…I do have brain damage from my tbi,” she wrote. “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 🌺,” she added.
Lilly’s fans and celebrity pals took to the comments section of her video to share their love and support, including from her Ant-Man co-star, Michelle Pfeiffer, who wrote, “You are a warrior. Nothing-not even this will defeat you my friend. ❤️.”
Lilly first revealed her accident back in May, and shared a look at her injuries.
“I fainted at the beach. And fell face first into a boulder,” she captioned an Instagram post at the time.
“At the hospital, the nurses and doctor went straight into action, more determined to find the cause of my blackout than to stitch up the hole punctured into my face by the rock,” she added. “I smiled wryly at them. ‘You won’t find anything.’ I said with a woozy voice…”
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