Published Apr 5, 2024

Helicopter Crash Nearly Took Model Christie Brinkley’s Life 30 Years Ago– At 70, She Looks Back Amid Recent Cancer Scare

Details
Transcript
Save This Video

Finding Purpose Amid Health Challenges & Milestone Events

Legendary model Christie Brinkley, 70, understands all too well what it’s like to feel gratitude and a new joy for life after a “life-altering” expereince, as not only did she recently battle skin cancer, and previously had breast cancer scare, but she also survived a helicopter crash in Telluride, Colorado, 30 years ago.
Brinkley shared a magazine cover photo from the 1990s featuring a photo of the 5-foot-9 mom of three following the shock crash.
She revealed last month that she was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma, a common type of skin cancer. A concerning spot she often covered with makeup was examined to confirm her diagnosis. She ultimately had a skin cancer treatment procedure to remove the cancer and went public with her basal cell carcinoma journey.
Prior to that, she experienced a frightening breast cancer scare which inspired her to write a children’s book.
Reaching milestones during or after a cancer battle is huge. These events like reaching another birthday, getting married, or starting a new job, or an anniversary of a scary event you survived may mean even more than they did previously, so it’s important to take them all in and celebrate all you’ve overcome.

Legendary model Christie Brinkley, 70, who recently had surgery after being diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma, a common type of skin cancer, and previously experienced a frightening breast cancer scare, took to social media this week to share a vivid throwback recounting a “life-altering milestone” that took place three decades ago.

Brinkley, who rose to fame as a Sports Illustrated cover model in the late 1970s/early 1980s, posted a magazine cover photo from the 1990s featuring a photo of the 5-foot-9 mom of three following a frightening helicopter crash in Telluride, Colorado.

View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Christie Brinkley (@christiebrinkley)

The entrepreneur, who resides in the Hamptons, on Long Island, New York, posted a throwback cover of People magazine, reading, “The helicopter crash that nearly killed Christie Brinkley.”

The magazine cover also quoted Brinkley recalling her thoughts during the crash, which read, “Oh, my god, we’re crashing! I’m going to die.”

Brinkley captioned the post, “This life altering milestone happened 30 years ago today! But the years have not diminished my gratitude for the gift of each and every day I am blessed with.

“None of us have any guarantees, fate can come knocking at any moment, so live laugh and make sure your friends and family know how much you love them because in the end it’s only LOVE that matters.”

She concluded, “Thank you to my heroes who rescued us @tellurideski #richarddick a special thank you and #tellurideskipatriol #love #life #fate #liveeachday #momentoftruth #family #friends #telluride.”

The magazine issue was dated April 18, 1994, and also included a photo of Brinkley with an injury from the shock accident, with a splint on her left wrist.

Brinkley also took to Instagram back in 2019, to commemorate 25 years having passed since the frightening experience. She wrote alongside the post at the time, “This happened 25 years ago today and not a day goes by that I have not counted my blessing for being alive.

“I know for a fact that tomorrow is not a guarantee and that each day is a gift and an opportunity to make sure that everybody we love knows it! ”

The potentially fatal accident took place when Brinkley was just 40 years old when she went on a heli-skiing tour in the San Juan mountain range with some friends, People reports.

The incident took place about an hour into their trip and 12,800 feet up a mountain, and thankfully resulted in minimal injuries.

When they reached the peal of the mountain the helicopter took a sharp turn and ultimately dropped 200 feet down a 40-degree incline, as per People, who interviewed Brinkley following the incident.

Brinkley recounted to the celeb news outlet, ” Just boom, boom, boom, pow! I would look out the window and see sky-mountain-snow, sky-mountain-snow,” adding she thought, “I am going to die. Right now? Like this? A ski trip? Today?”

She remains incredibly grateful, as she looked back on the plan landing and her ending up on the snow looking up at the ski saying, “I am alive! God!” .. along with the others on the helicopter, who were safe, just scattered amid the chopper’s debris.

Christie Brinkley’s Battle With Skin Cancer

The 70-year-old model who beautifully graced magazine covers during the ‘70s and ‘80s, also took to social media this year to reveal she had been diagnosed with skin cancer.

Brinkley shared some photos of her skin on March 13, writing alongside the images, “The good news for me is we caught the basal cell Carcinoma early. And I had great Doctors that removed the cancer and stitched me up to perfection like an haute couture Dior.

“The good news for you is that all of this can be avoided by being diligent with your sun protection! I got serious a bit late so now for this ole mermaid/gardener, I’ll be slathering on my SPF 30, reapplying as needed, wearing long sleeves and a wide brim hat. And doing regular total body check ups..that is a MUST!”

She added, “I was lucky to find mine, because I was accompanying one of my daughters to HER check up .. The Doctor was looking at each freckle with a magnifying glass… it wasn’t my appointment so I wasn’t going to say anything but at the VERY end I asked if he could just look at a little tiny dot I could feel as I applied my foundation. He took a look and knew immediately it needed a biopsy! He did it then and there!

“So make your own good luck by making that check up appointment today. And slather up my friends!”

View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Christie Brinkley (@christiebrinkley)

And Brinkley’s Breast Cancer Scare

The Monroe, Michigan native, who resides in Sag Harbor on New York’s Long Island never had breast cancer, but she did experience a frightening breast cancer scare along with her mother.

Back in 1999, Brinkley told The Associated Press, “Both my mom and myself had scares, and thank goodness, neither of us had cancer. But those two incidents gave me just a little teeny glimpse of what it’s like to have the fear and the rush of emotions.”

The cancer scare inspired Brinkley’s introduction she wrote in a free children’s book, written by Laura Numeroff, called “Kids Talk,” from the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

“The book addresses those fears and explains breast cancer through cute illustrations and in words children can understand,” Brinkley said, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

Reaching Milestones as a Cancer Survivor

Reaching milestones after during or after a cancer battle, or after life changes made to reduce the risk of cancer, is huge. These events like getting reaching decades after a scary accident, turning another year older, or a wedding anniversary may mean even more than they did previously, so it’s important to take them all in and celebrate all that you’ve overcome.

I’m Able to Be Here For More Milestones One Cancer Survivor’s Incredible Story

Chrissy Degennaro, a cancer warrior determined to keep enjoying these precious milestones, is a great example of this. She has been battling a rare blood cancer called multiple myeloma for 14 years, and was first diagnosed when she was just 36 years old with a 2-year-old son.

When she was diagnosed, she almost expected to not be able to see him enter kindergarten. But thanks to 27 rounds of chemotherapy, two stem cell transplants, a CAR-T cell trial and two CAR-T cell transplants over following 14 years, she’s able to keep making memories with her family.

“You know, I do live one day at a time,” Chrissy previously told SurvivorNet. “Now, maybe I can go a week, a month, but things are looking pretty good. I’m able to be here for more milestones for my son, for more holidays, more birthdays. I do feel like I have had another chance at life.”

‘I Made as Much Lemonade Out of These Lemons as I Could’ Survivor Rachel Miller Garcia Shares Her Story

Staying Positive Despite Adversity

We love how Christie Brinkley remained positive and hopeful throughout her recent cancer journey, and even after her “life-altering” experience in Telluride, which is why we’d like to point out how SurvivorNet specializes in covering the lives of people who overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Often, seeing the positive helps them maintain their resilience.

WATCH: Defining and Building Resilience

Dr. Zuri Murrell, an oncologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, previously spoke to SurvivorNet about the role of a positive outlook on survival rates, saying, “I’m pretty good at telling what kind of patient are going to still have this attitude and probably going to live the longest, even with bad, bad disease. And those are patients who, they have gratitude in life.”

Resilience is an important trait, but not the easiest to build. The ultimate goal is not to avoid tough times, but to be able to bounce back from them. And yet, when they are faced with an overwhelming, life-changing situation, how do people shift their view? How do they learn to see the problem as temporary, rather than permanent, and figure out a solution?

It’s complicated, because building resilience is more about your mental and emotional fortitude than anything else. According to the American Psychological Association, “the resources and skills associated with more positive adaptation (i.e., greater resilience) can be cultivated and practiced.”

In other words, resilience is not something you’re born with, which should be encouraging. Instead, after every challenge in your life, you build more and more resilience to those hard times.

You can build resilience the way you build muscle – through patience and steady exercise of the skill. Here are some lessons taken from Fischer, Runkel, and Soller, all who have spoke with SurvivorNet in earlier interviews.

Be willing to learn. If one way doesn’t work, find a different way. If an obstacle lands in your way, build a path around it or over it. In Resilience, one of the athletes says, “You always have to be learning. Otherwise, life gets stagnant.” The more you learn, the more you grow and growth is a sign of resilience.
Spend time with people who inspire you. Our world is filled with people who overcome challenges, and their success can energize you to overcome your own. Think about famous people who hava faced adversity and did not give up Stephen King actually threw his manuscript, Carrie, in the trash because it had been rejected by publishers so many times. His wife encouraged him to keep sending it out, and he finally sold it in 1974 launching a massively successful career as a novelist. Take the time to read and learn about the lives of Helen Keller, Jackie Robinson, Bethany Hamilton, Nelson Mandela, and others.
Allow yourself to grieve. Don’t push away or dismiss your frustration and sadness. Ben Fischer says that life can be filled with lots of crying, but “Those cries make us stronger.”
Be flexible. Abandon the idea that there is only one solution or that you must stick to your original plan. The best solution or plan is the one that eventually works. You may need to change your original plan as the circumstances change.
Lean in to your community. Your friends, colleagues, and family are invaluable, and when you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed by a problem, their support can carry you. The Harvard Study of Adult Development is the longest study of human well-being. Many news outlets have covered its results, which show that maintaining strong, healthy relationships helped people live longer lives. Psychiatrist and author Dr. Samantha Boardman tells SurvivorNet that connecting with and contributing to the lives of other people are two of “the three wellsprings of vitality” (the third is feeling positively challenged).