Jan. 6 (UPI) -- Christie Brinkley has had her hip replaced 26 years after being injured in a helicopter crash.
The 66-year-old model said Tuesday on Instagram that she's recovering after undergoing hip replacement surgery in November.
Brinkley shared photos of herself snorkeling with Jack Paris, her 25-year-old son with her husband, Richard Taubman. The picture shows Brinkley with a bandage on her hip.
"New Year, New Hip! Yes that's a band aid on my hip. I injured my hip in a back country skiing helicopter crash on a mountaintop in Telluride many years ago. The pain my hip got a little bit worse each year. 12 years ago I was told it needed to be replaced but the surgery was daunting! And I had things to do!" Brinkley captioned the post.
"But quarantine put a damper on any plans so I decided to finally take time for myself and do something about the pain that had progressively influenced my decisions. I wanted to be ready to be able to say yes to opportunity," she said.
Brinkley said she had her surgery around Thanksgiving and was dancing in her kitchen by New Year's Eve.
"Today I put on my long fins and explored the coral reefs propelled by my new hip!" she said.
Brinkley shared her story to encourage others, saying, "If you've been putting something off that could improve your well-being but hesitate out of some sort of fear, I suggest learning as much as you can about the process and the results and expectations."
"I can't tell you how happy I am to have done this. Now I can focus on getting back in shape and rebuilding my strength," she added.
Brinkley was injured in a helicopter crash in 1994 during a ski trip in Telluride, Colorado. She reflected on the experience on the 25th anniversary of the crash in April 2019.
"This happened 25 years ago today and not a day goes by that I have not counted my blessing for being alive," she wrote on Instagram. "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!"
Brinkley has two other children, daughters Alex Ray Joel, 35, and Sailor Lee, 22. She shared new photos with Sailor in December 2019 that shows the pair wearing coordinating white outfits.
