(NEXSTAR) — Evangeline Lilly, the Canadian-born actor known for her roles on “Lost” and in the “Ant-Man” film franchise, says she has brain damage after falling on a beach in Hawaii last year.
Lilly, 46, shared the update in a post to Instagram on Friday, starting the video by saying she had “some bad news about my concussion.”
In May, Lilly posted to Instagram that she had “fainted at the beach” and “fell face first into a boulder.” In a related post on Substack, she explained that she has experienced “fainting spells” since she was young, which led to her being tested for epilepsy. Lilly explained she was also diagnosed with hypoglycemia “without…any testing,” but it was later ruled out.
While she received care after her fall at the beach, Lilly said testing came back normal. However, she wrote that the “blackout and resulting injuries forced me to drop everything.”
In the months after, Lilly made multiple posts about her recovery, including in June when she asked her social media followers to “please be patient and gentle” with her. In July, she posted that she was going to see a brain specialist.
“Almost every area in my brain is functioning at a decreased capacity,” Lilly said in an Instagram post on Friday, discussing brain scan results she had received. “So I do have brain damage from the TBI, and possibly other factors going on.”
Lilly said she now has to “get to the bottom of that with the doctors, and then embark on the hard work of fixing it.”
A TBI, or traumatic brain injury, can be caused by a blow or jolt to the head or body, the Mayo Clinic explains. Falls, hard hits to the head, and car crashes are common causes, according to the Cleveland Clinic, as well as “when something goes through your skull.”
A TBI can give you headaches, cause confusion, impact your short-term memory, and prompt mood or behavior changes. In some cases, TBIs can be severe, causing permanent disability or death, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke says.
“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,” Lilly added.
Lilly appeared to announce she was stepping away from acting in 2024, writing on Instagram that “stepping away from what seems like the obvious choice (wealth and fame) can feel scary at times, but stepping into your dharma replaces the fear with fulfillment.”
“Feeling extraordinarily grateful and blessed to be able to play one more day, one more year, on this beautiful living planet, and that is my concussion update,” she concluded Friday’s video. “Thank you all for caring.”
Lilly is well-known for her roles as Kate Austen in all six seasons of ABC’s hit show “Lost,” as well as appearances in Marvel’s three “Ant-Man” films and “Avengers: Endgame.” Her resume also includes roles in “The Hurt Locker,” Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit” film franchise, and “Real Steel.” Her most recent acting title was as Hope Van Dyne, or Wasp, in the 2023 film, “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.”
Outside of acting, Lilly has authored “The Squickerwonkers,” a series of children’s books, and has remained involved in humanitarian work in Rwanda for over a decade.
Nexstar’s Michael Bartiromo contributed to this report.