Evangeline Lilly reveals brain damage after Hawaii accident: “Almost every area in my brain is functioning at a decreased capacity”

Evangeline Lilly is beginning the new year with an unsettling health update.

The Ant-Man and the Wasp actor revealed she has brain damage following a traumatic accident in Hawaii, where she fainted and fell face-first onto a boulder. Sharing the news on Instagram on January 2, Lilly confirmed that doctors have since diagnosed her with a traumatic brain injury.

“Verdict’s in… I do have brain damage from my (traumatic brain injury). 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,” she wrote.

In a video recorded on January 1, the Lost alum said brain scans showed widespread impairment. “Almost every area in my brain is functioning at a decreased capacity,” she explained.

Despite the grim diagnosis, Lilly said she’s now focused on understanding the extent of the injury and committing to recovery — even if the road ahead feels exhausting. “But now my job is to hit the bottom of that with the 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. But that’s okay,” she added.

While the Hawaii incident was severe, Lilly has previously spoken about a long history of unexplained fainting episodes. In a May 30 Substack essay, she revealed she’s experienced “‘absent’ and fainting spells since I was a little girl.”

Doctors initially evaluated her for epilepsy and later diagnosed her with hypoglycemia — without formal testing, according to Lilly. “For a good chunk of my life, I went with that – hypoglycemia,” she wrote. But as she got older and underwent extensive blood work, the explanation no longer held up. “What was interesting was how, even after a 12-hour fast, even after blacking out, my glucose levels never came back as low. Hypoglycemia, it seemed, was being ruled out.”

Lilly said her blackout episodes were never fully explained, forcing her to accept the uncertainty. She also shared that her husband, Norman Kali, has told her she appears lifeless during the episodes.

Following confirmation of her cognitive decline, Lilly said she intentionally slowed down and prioritized rest at the end of 2025 — a shift that brought unexpected peace.

“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,” she said. “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 updates. Thank you all for caring.”