Actress Evangeline Lilly revealed this week that she has been diagnosed with brain damage following a serious fall in Hawaii last May.

The 46-year-old star, known for her roles in the Marvel films "Ant-Man and the Wasp" and the television series "Lost," shared the health update on Instagram on Jan. 2. In a video filmed on New Year's Day, Lilly explained that recent brain scans showed reduced function across nearly her entire brain.

"The results came back from the scans, and almost every area in my brain is functioning at a decreased capacity," she said in the video. "So I do have brain damage from the TBI (traumatic brain injury), and possibly other factors going on," according to The Guardian.

The accident occurred in May 2025 while Lilly was at a beach in Hawaii. She fainted without warning and fell face-first into a boulder. The impact caused significant facial injuries, including a hole in her face that required stitches from a plastic surgeon to prevent permanent scarring. She also experienced additional fainting episodes, including one on the way to the hospital, The Independent reported.

In the months following the accident, Lilly had struggled with cognitive decline—difficulty concentrating and memory problems. In her Instagram post caption, she noted that doctors initially confirmed the symptoms were not related to perimenopause, a transition many women experience in midlife. However, discovering the source of the decline did not bring her relief.

"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.

Lilly has a history of fainting spells dating back to childhood. Previously, doctors had suggested hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) as the cause, though testing never confirmed this explanation. The cause of her fainting episodes remains unknown.

Moving forward, Lilly said her focus will be working with her medical team to understand what triggered the fainting and to begin recovery efforts, as per Fox News. Despite the challenging diagnosis, she expressed gratitude for how the injury forced her to slow down. She called her 2025 holiday season "the most restful" she has had in fourteen years, since becoming a parent.

Lilly ended her update by thanking fans for their continued support and prayers during her recovery process.