Actor Evangeline Lilly said that medical scans show she has sustained brain damage following a concussion she suffered last year after fainting and falling onto a boulder.
Lilly, 46, disclosed the diagnosis in a video posted on Instagram on Jan. 2, several months after she first revealed she had experienced a traumatic brain injury.
The video marked the latest in a series of updates about her recovery since she announced the injury in May.
"I'm entering into this new year, the Year of the Horse, with some bad news about my concussion," Lilly said in the video. "A lot of you asked how I'm doing."
"A lot of you have inquired about the brain scans that you heard I got. And the results came back from the scans."
Lilly said the results showed that "almost every area in my brain is functioning at a decreased capacity."
"So I do have brain damage from the TBI," Lilly said, "and possibly other factors going on."
The actor, known for her roles in the television series "Lost" and Marvel's "Ant-Man" films, said she is now working with doctors to better understand the extent and cause of the damage and to determine next steps in treatment.
"But now, my job is to get to the bottom of that with doctors and then embark on the hard work of fixing it, which I don't look forward to because I feel like hard work is all I do," Lilly said. "But that's OK.
"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 concluded the video by saying she feels "extraordinarily grateful" and "blessed," despite the diagnosis.
In the caption accompanying the post, she said it was reassuring to learn that the symptoms she has been experiencing were not related to perimenopause.
"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."
Lilly suffered a concussion last year after fainting while at the beach and falling face-first into a boulder.
She first revealed the incident in a Substack post published in May, describing the episode as a blackout. Lilly has previously said she's experienced fainting spells since childhood.
At the time, she also shared details of the injury on Instagram, posting photos that showed facial injuries and a damaged tooth.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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