“Suck It Up, Princess”: Karlie Thompson’s Story - From Coma to Carbon Legs

Karlie Thompson shouldn’t be here - consultants gave her a 5% chance.A fit, high-performing NHS comms leader, Karlie was put into a coma with pneumococcal pneumonia, developed sepsis, went into multi-organ failure, suffered a stroke on ECMO, and ultimately chose a bilateral below-knee amputation to live and walk again.This isn’t a tragedy story. It’s a masterclass in choice, grit, and joy in the smallest moments.Karlie’s mantra: “Suck it up, princess.” - isn’t denial; it’s deciding to move anyway, cry when you need to, and keep going for the people you love.In this episode:🔥 The night everything changed and why being “healthy” saved her life🔥 What ECMO is (and why only a handful of UK centres offer it)🔥 Waking from a coma “locked in,” communicating one letter at a time🔥 Choosing amputation vs. a wheelchair—and letting her kids vote🔥 Body image after trauma, prosthetics 101, and setting wild goals🔥 Joy not perfection: painting pots, iced coffee, and saying “I love you” on repeatQuotables:💬 “Kick the ball, buy the shoes, eat the cake. Tell people you love them.”💬 “Sometimes you’ve just got to suck it up, princess. Other times, it’s okay not to.”💬 “It’s not the field of sunflowers - it’s the flower.”Connect with Karlie 🔗 Instagram: @karlie_thompson_suckitup🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karliethompson/🔗 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karlie.thompson.58About RAW CHATTERUnfiltered stories of addiction, recovery & reinvention. Real talk on resilience, mental health, and the messy middle of becoming.If this helped you, hit Subscribe, drop a comment for Karlie and share this with someone who needs proof that comeback stories are real.Vicky xxTo find out more about me and why I do this podcast 🧠 Coaching info: https://vickymidwood.com/📩 Join the email list for weekly updates: https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/426802/87719477697841062/shareEmail: [email protected] Book a call: https://tidycal.com/vicky1/30-minute-chatConnect via social media: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vickymidwoodhealthcoach/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vicky.midwood/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vicky_gofigurecoaching/