'Lost' star Evangeline Lilly opens up on costly traumatic brain injury recovery
Evangeline Lilly is pulling back the curtain on a painful and pricey health battle that has reshaped her life.
The 46-year-old actress says she "spent a lot of money" on trying to find the right treatment for brain damage sustained by a fall. Lilly first shared news of her traumatic brain injury (TBI) in May, explaining she fainted and fell “face-first into a boulder.” Since then, she has undergone extensive testing to understand the long-term effects of the injury and says the search for answers has come at a high financial cost.
In an Instagram post, the "Lost" star wrote, "I have spent a lot of money getting evaluated and getting targeted, expert advice on how to heal my brain.
"I am not a doctor nor an authority on any of this. But in the absence of affordable medical care in this country, I am sharing some of the advice given to me," she continued, "For each of the supplements I'm taking, I take ONE capsule a day."
Lilly explains in another video why it was important for her to share her experience publicly. She said, "I consider myself one of the extraordinarily fortunate people in this country who can take care of my body the way that it needs to be taken care of without money getting in the way of that.
She added, "And so I want to share what I am learning from them in case any of you out there are also experiencing repercussions from a TBI, a concussion, and want to attend to your brain but don’t know how to."
Lilly detailed a supplement regimen that includes N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC), creatine, and omega-3, while stressing moderation. She explained, "This is obviously a lot of supplements, and I, as a general note about supplements, I don’t take supplements on a daily basis. I take them on an as-needed basis, so I will be on these supplements for a period of time that I deem appropriate."
The update follows another emotional Instagram post shared at the start of 2026, where the actress revealed the seriousness of her diagnosis. She wrote, "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.
"The results came back from the scans, and I missed every area, and my brain is functioning at a decreased capacity. So, I do have brain damage from the TBI, and possibly other factors going on."
Reflecting on the experience, she has a positive outlook on her road to recovery, “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 concluded, “[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. Thank you all for caring.”
