Suck It Up, Princess: Turning Survival into a Movement

Karlie Thompson founder Suck It Up, Princess

By Karlie Thompson | Advocate, Speaker, Founder of ‘Suck It Up, Princess’, Mum, Creative/Professional Communications Bod, Media and Interview Star!

I didn’t choose this. Sepsis did.

One minute I was a Communications Director in the NHS, a mum of two, and a woman with a plan - a detailed, colour-coded, crammed-to-the-rafters kind of plan. The kind of plan that runs on 153 mental tabs open at all times, fuelled by caffeine, chocolate, notebooks, and the occasional viral cardigan/Tik Tok haul!

Then came April. And sepsis. Like a traffic jam ruining your only sunny bank holiday in five years - but worse. Much worse. More frustrating than a cold bath or your favourite jumper being sold out in your size. You get the vibe. All the bad luck at once, and it’ll never happen to you, right?! Who the hell knows because I didn’t see it coming!

I contracted pneumococcal (streptococcus) pneumonia, spent two weeks auditioning for Sleeping Beauty (aka a coma), survived ECMO, had a stroke, went into septic shock, multiple organ failure, and basically experienced the kind of trauma that rewires your entire life.

Imagine lying on a bed that feels like a lilo in the middle of the night, unable to move, unable to speak. You are very much not on holiday.

At home after the amputation of both legs.

I Didn’t Lose My Voice - Or My Fight

I will lose the tips of my finger and thumb. I’ve already lost both legs below the knee. I currently use a wheelchair, live with vision loss, and rely on daily support for everything from transfers to emotional support.

My partner Aaron, my rock - an engineer who prefers tape measures to tears - and my mum are my lifelines, along with my children, best friend and cousin. Without them, I wouldn’t be here. I wouldn’t be able to function. And I wouldn’t be able to advocate.

But I didn’t lose my voice. And I didn’t lose my fight.

👑 What Is Suck It Up, Princess?

It started as a sarcastic mantra - something a Consultant once told me I needed to do when the sheer amount of things they were doing to me just got too much.

Sometimes, you’ve just got to suck it up, princess. Suck It Up, Princess is now my brand. A battle cry, if you will.

It’s not about toxic positivity. It’s not about being brave for the sake of it. It’s about radical honesty, resilience, and refusing to sugarcoat the realities of disability, trauma, and recovery. It’s also about the choice that is positivity.

Yes, I’m scared; yes, I cry; yes, it’s all too much but I choose to be positive – because that’s what I want my children to do and that keeps you going.

Through speaking, writing, and social media, my goal is to share the truth:

• That disabled lives are not lesser lives

• That recovery is messy, nonlinear, and political

• That the systems meant to support us often fail us - and we deserve better

• That positivity is a choice and we’re a community to get each other through

  
  

🧩 The Reality Behind the Advocacy

I’m not just a survivor. I’m a strategist. I’ve led campaigns, built platforms, and collaborated with charities and media outlets to amplify disabled voices. But behind the scenes, I’m also managing:

• A relentless schedule of hospital appointments

• Emotional crashes after trauma-triggering events

• Parenting two brilliant and exceptional kids while needing help to bathe, dress, and eat

• Navigating PIP, social care, and the exhausting admin of being disabled but not really (certainly not in my head).

  
  

This isn’t just a recovery story. It’s a call to everybody to make it count. To be happy, to try for the good stuff, despite the raining of literal poo balls because of codeine induced constipation (if you know, you know)…

🔥 Why This Work Matters

Disabled people are still fighting for basic dignity. For access. For recognition. For care that doesn’t retraumatise. For benefits that don’t punish us for surviving.

Suck It Up, Princess is my way of saying: Enough. It’s a space for truth-telling, community-building, and systemic change.

Whether I’m speaking at events, writing blogs, or collaborating with organisations like Speakers Collective, my goal is clear: To make lived experience impossible to ignore and to choose positivity.

Send the letter, go to the top, write the email, make the move… Kick the ball!

💬 Positivity Is a Choice - But So Is Showing Up

Choosing joy doesn’t mean ignoring pain. It means refusing to let pain be the only story.

It means showing up for yourself and others with presence, not platitudes. It means ditching the “call me if you need me” and asking, “What do you need right now?” It means building spaces where people feel seen, heard, and valued - not just tolerated, if that.

And it means recognising that every single one of us has the power to choose how we respond to the hard stuff. Not perfectly. Not always. But intentionally.

💥 Final Word

If you’ve ever been told to ‘suck it up’ when you needed support, this platform is for you. If you’ve ever felt like your story was too messy, too raw, or too real - this space is yours.

Because Suck It Up, Princess isn’t about pretending everything’s fine. It’s about surviving, speaking up, and refusing to be sidelined. And I’m just getting started.

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About Karlie Thompson & the Speakers Collective

If you are interested in Karlie Thompson speaking at an event or hearing more about Suck It Up, Princess please contact info@speakerscollective.org. 

Speakers Collective is a Social Enterprise. We work together with a shared commitment to challenge stigma, facilitate important conversations and promote learning on a variety of social issues. Please do contact us via info@speakerscollective.org or via our contact form here.