Reporter Brooke Graham Faints on Live Television During Report 

Guys, I passed out during a live shot on the Saturday morning show. As in, went down HARD on live TV! Such a crazy experience. A lot of people have expressed concern and well wishes and I really appreciate it.

 

I would like to explain what happened…

and why you shouldn’t be too worried that I am pregnant, anorexic, diabetic, etc… at this point I have heard it all.

 

This is not the first time I have passed out cold.

I am known to faint any time I am in high altitudes and get too cold (so does my twin sister Britt) It started when we were in middle school and doing the Utah ski program. It is not a pleasant experience. You get sick to your stomach, body aches, and everything starts to spin, and then things go quiet.

On this particular morning… 

I woke up feeling quite nauseous after staying out late the night before and waking up at 4:30 am to be ready for the show and to get up the canyon in time for my report. After about 10 minutes outside in the canyon I felt the familiar effects of altitude and cold begin… things started to spin, I felt unsteady, and everything was getting softer and softer. I tried to warn the producer back at the station that I was not well and would need to sit down and take a minute to recoup… however, she did not get my message and the cameramen pointed the camera in my direction with the red light ON. I knew I had to give it my best try even though I could feel my consciousness slipping away. You can see on the video what happens after that! 

I plan to go get checked out by a doctor and get to the bottom of it. (Update: I did and here is the analysis) 

I have been wanting to get a professional medical opinion on what is causing this to happen. It seems when I combine freezing temperatures and high altitude my body reacts in this way and reverts to fainting.

In the meantime, we can all laugh at the craziness of the situation!

I have laughed many times watching this video and I do not want anyone to feel bad if they find themselves chuckling as I go down like a tree in the forest! I feel like someone should dub Keisha “Timber” over it and play the fall in slow motion. (update: dozens of videos were made from this, including a special meme on your iPhone of me fainting if you ever need it! Didn’t think I would ever be one of those.)

I was surprised that…

Media outlets around the world began applauding my efforts for continuing the interview from the ground and shared very kind words with me. It is not every day that you see the anchors of the Today Show watching your report and giving you props for doing your best. I have since received thousands of emails and messages from people around the world.

Special thanks to…

My two sisters who immediately called my cell phone after watching the report live at their homes. My older sister, Heather, who sweetly told me it wasn’t too noticeable and things would blow over…Hahaha! And then Britt, who told me it was going to reach YouTube in a couple of hours and helped me laugh along with her as we prepared for dozens of international interviews over the next few days including the Today Show in NYC, the Today Show in Australia, BBC in England, and CNN morning show along with countless other phone interviews.

I also want to give a big shout out to

Richard, President of the Nordic Alliance, who was with me all morning. He handled the situation so gracefully and was so sweet and made sure I was okay. I could feel myself getting light headed and tried to warn the producer that I was sick but due to the bad service in the canyon they were not notified. After I went down I sat up and had no idea how long I had been out but saw the camera pointed at my face and decided to keep on talking! It has been a wild ride but I am so grateful for my health, kind people, and the ability to laugh at ourselves! 

And last but not least, my husband! 

At the time of the fainting incident, we had just begun our dating journey. When he heard what had happened he rushed over to my house with this balloon and I knew he was a good catch! He has been the most supportive and loving partner throughout my TV journey.