Callie Co.

Graphic designer. Sepsis survivor. Amputee. Wife. Mommy of one on earth, one in Heaven.

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About

CALLIE COLWICK

Hello there, I’m Callie! I am Jesus lover, graphic designer, sepsis survivor, amputee, wife and mother of one on earth – one in Heaven.

The day after Christmas in 2016 my life was forever changed when I went into septic shock while fighting to save my unborn son, Quinn. In the months that followed I had both my legs below the knee amputated along with my left index finger and thumb.

I spent over a year in the ICU wing of the hospital and the following six months in rehab. I am finally back home with my family and since returning home I have traveled, started a blog, spoken at several events and sought to bring hope and light to everyone I meet.

Thank you for visiting. If you are interested in more information about working with me or just want to say hello, send me a note. I’d love to hear from you!

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My name is Callie Colwick. I am a Jesus lover, graphic designer, sepsis survivor, amputee, wife and mother of one on earth and one in heaven.

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Latest on Instagram

I let some internet bullies steal a bit of my ✨s I let some internet bullies steal a bit of my ✨sparkle✨ this past month. There. I said it. 💔😔
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With the influx of new faces here on social media came another wave of something I hadn’t anticipated: bullying.
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I’m an adult… I can handle some mean words, right? But the place I was not anticipating them to attack is right where they hit hard: motherhood. Never have I EVER been attacked so vehemently in DMs and on my page by keyboard warriors like this before.
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Apparently they felt justified in questioning if I’m fit to even be a mom and/or if I should be able to adopt… simply because I’m differently abled.
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Here’s the conclusion I’ve come to: if after watching all of my content and reading the words I type you still have doubts about my ability to be a mom…. then that’s a you problem. 🤷🏼‍♀️ I’d suggest some education around this topic - and perhaps some heart searching. But I’m speechless in the weirdest possible way.
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I mean… truly speechless. There’s not a single thing I can think of that my daughter misses out on because I am in a wheelchair. My disability doesn’t make me a burden to my daughter or less of a mother… it just means I get to be more creative.
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I solve a million tiny problems every day in unique ways. We laugh when I fall out of my chair, or my leg falls off. When I trip or fail Kenzi gets a front row seat - able to witness my perseverance through trials both big and small.
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Yes, motherhood looks different than it once did when I was able bodied - but I wouldn’t change a thing. It’s even more beautiful than I could have ever imagined… and we’re just getting started. 🌸💕✨
Thankful for the storms and the breathtakingly bea Thankful for the storms and the breathtakingly beautiful sunrises in life. ⛈️ 🌈 When I look back on life prior to sepsis and my amputations I can see with such clarity how hard I worked to try and make my life all rainbows and sunshine. I fought hard to avoid the cloudy days at all costs.
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I didn’t see it at the time… but I was caught up in my own net of perfectionism - excusing it as me just being a ‘high achiever’. My name became a verb: she “Callie-fied” that. The “Callie-fication” of performing a certain activity meant that whatever it was… it was done at the highest caliber possible.
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And honestly… (while I loved giving everything my all and it came from a genuine place) it was exhausting (and impractical). Now? I’m constantly leaning into the beauty of living life in the fullness of who Christ has created me to be. Not what Pinterest says I should be.
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It’s freeing. It’s a joyful way to live life. Living life (as my friend @jessaconnolly so eloquently said a week ago) “in wild hope - not in our circumstances, not in ourselves. But in our friend and Savior, Jesus.”
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What a beautiful life I’ve been gifted! I have breath in my lungs, a song to sing and a body to dance with. 💕 If you’re ever in my neck of the woods and you happen to catch me blasting music, singing at the top of my lungs and scooting around in my @whill_us - feel free to join in on the fun. 😉💕
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Life is so much MORE than the confines of perfectionism we place on ourselves. Break free my friends! It’s beautiful to live fully awake.
💌 A message to my younger self trapped in the I 💌 A message to my younger self trapped in the ICU:
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Callie, 
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The only way to get on the other side of this ache in your chest… the heavy grief and heartache you’re feeling right now is through it.
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As much as you can - embrace the brokenness you find yourself in. It’s okay to not be rescued immediately. It’s okay to not know what tomorrow will look like. Search for the beauty, fix your eyes on Christ and the light at the end of this dark tunnel.
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I know you are in pain and frustrated. You’re tired of fighting. But don’t lose hope. A bright and beautiful future awaits you. As impossible as it seems right now - your body, heart and mind will heal. Those huge wounds will close. The clouds obscuring your view will lift. The pain that feels like a tsunami raging inside your chest will become a bubbling brook in time.
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Not everyone will understand what you’re going through. The metamorphosis happening - and that’s okay. Your healing is exactly that - yours. Don’t let that dull the sparkle Christ has given you. Don’t let it dim your glow.
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Find the people who are like bright rays of sunshine and trust them with your light in turn. Love well. Bring peace. Learn, adapt and don’t be afraid to live your life - to the fullest. You’ve got this, because He’s got you.
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Most importantly: when your tears won’t stop flowing and you’re questioning the ‘why’ of your pain… know that not a single tear is being wasted. Every tear you cry is being distilled and used to water a lush field of flowers. That field will be waiting for you, once you’re ready for it.
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There’s so much beauty to be found on the other There’s so much beauty to be found on the other side of heartache and grief - a newfound appreciation for the beauty of life and a depth of joy I’ve never experienced prior to my grief.
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But there was a long dark path I walked on the road towards healing. I keep things pretty light here on Instagram, but the truth is that in the beginning grief can be so thick it feels as though it’s stealing the very breath in your lungs.
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With Quinn there was a lot of closure I desperately wanted, but knew I’d never have. I wished I could have held my son, met him and said goodbye.
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I didn’t get that opportunity - instead Quinn was handed to Kevin while I was unconscious and wheeled into surgery. Kevin was left grieving the death of his son and not knowing if he’d ever see his wife again.
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Something truly beautiful happened when I finally came home though. I connected with @aliwoodcreations and she created the incredible sign you see in this video. Quinn’s tiny footprints paired with Quinn’s full name Kevin wrote out etched into a beautiful piece of wooden art.
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Cherished memories. Enhanced by the beauty of Ali’s art. Forever thankful. 💕
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My tears of sorrow flowed so frequently for so long that I couldn’t understand at the time how any good could possibly come from my heartache and pain. I’ve come to discover that not a single tear was wasted. Each and every tear was watering a field of flowers. There’s beauty to be discovered in the midst of heartache and grief.
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If my 1.5 years in the ICU/rehab hospital taught m If my 1.5 years in the ICU/rehab hospital taught me anything it’s that healing takes time… my plans (well-intentioned as they may be) may not always happen as quickly as I wish they would.
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For example: I dreamt of walking into my home on my two new prosthetic legs after being released from the hospital. In reality? My legs still had open wounds all over them… I was quickly sent home by insurance because they stopped paying, and I couldn’t even sit up in bed on my own. 🙈
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But this year I‘ve decided to set my sights on a new goal: adaptive driving. I don’t know what that even looks like. How to even start. But I’m excited to figure it out!
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Scooting around in my downtown neighborhood will always be something I do - but now that Kenzi is getting older she wants to meet up for play dates and go different places that I can’t take her without a BUNCH of planning, and reliance on other people.
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How freeing it must be to be able to get in a car and take a leisurely trip to Target… just because you want to! Or, drive a few towns over to have lunch with a friend.
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I’m excited to pursue this next big leap in independence… not just for myself but for Kenzi and Kevin as well.
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Me driving = Kevin not having to drop everything to take me places.
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Me driving = the ability to run errands and help out with life.
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Me driving = being able to go workout at our gym whenever I want to. The ability to go visit @AdaptiveTrainingFoundation and go to PT in Dallas and so many other things!
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Will it take me a year to learn how to drive? Maybe. Two? Possibly. The truth is I’m not sure how long this process might take. But I’m excited for every step along the way. 👏🏻💕 If anyone has any resources or recommendations on where to start - send them my way. Super stoked to discover what’s possible. ✨
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