“Vivi No Limits”: the rebirth of Viviana Lucarini after sepsis and amputations

A life can change in an instant. And sometimes it does so without warning, with a brutality that leaves no escape: a rushed trip to the clinic, an underestimated infection, septic shock, a coma. Then comes waking up to a reality that seems impossible even to name.

That is where the story of Viviana Lucarini begins again. Known on social media as Vivi No Limits, she is now a speaker and mentor, also involved in projects related to prosthetics and charitable reuse.

Sepsis and the awakening

The turning point came in 2021, during a period also marked by complications from COVID-19. «My story changed radically in 2021, when at 54 years old I developed sepsis caused by an infection from a kidney stone, and I went into septic shock».

Viviana was temporarily in the Canary Islands, having just arrived from the Balearic Islands, where she had lived for decades. She recalls an initial visit to a clinic and an early underestimation of the condition, which accelerated the rapid worsening of events. «When I woke up from the induced coma, I found all four of my limbs gangrenous and irreparably compromised».

Making everything even harder was the inability to speak: «In addition to my limbs being in that condition, I had a tracheotomy that prevented me from speaking». From that moment, she made a clear decision to rebuild her independence. «I decided to be transferred to Italy: amputations were necessary».

She continues: «They accepted me at Sant’Orsola Hospital in Bologna. I will never stop thanking the management and the entire staff because they were exceptional». After months of hospitals and rehabilitation, Viviana Lucarini found in ROGA in Enna not only a prosthetics center, but a real turning point in her journey toward a new autonomy.

Turning shock into an action plan

Viviana describes a long period in which shock remained like “background noise,” while her mind worked step by step. «I looked at myself, and it was a shocking moment. But my mind immediately went to: okay, what do I need to do?».

Then came the path forward, marked almost like a survival checklist: «The first step was moving to Italy, then came the amputations, then rehabilitation, and finally the prosthetics».

Full awareness arrived only months later. «The realization of how much my life had changed came when I returned home».

She also points out the hardest part, even today: the loss of total independence. «The hardest part of this whole situation was not just losing my limbs, but losing the ability to live independently».

She adds a very concrete daily detail: «Even just putting on my gym prosthetics requires help».

Psychological support: offered, rejected, then accepted

On the psychological side, Viviana describes something common in many traumatic experiences: help is offered, but it is not always possible to accept it right away. «I was offered psychological support, but I didn’t accept it until much later».

At the time, she explains, she did not feel it would help. «Throughout all my hospital stays, it was suggested to me, but at that moment I didn’t think it could do much for me». Then came the return to her “old life,” and the realization that that life no longer existed. «I went back to my previous life and understood that it no longer existed in any way».

That was when support finally came: «I had help from someone who guided me through some of the hardest moments, but much later». And she clarifies: «I believe this is a very personal choice».

“Vivi No Limits”: real limits, but no mental limits

The name she chose for social media is a manifesto, but not a denial of reality. «I chose to call myself Vivi No Limits not because I have no objective limitations in daily life». The point, she explains, is something else: «It’s more about not having mental limits when you suddenly find yourself in a body with a significant physical disability».

A mentor grounded in reality

In her work with people, Viviana chooses a pragmatic approach. «I use the word mentor instead of coach, because coach sometimes has a more motivational approach».

Her method starts from accepting reality: «I help people navigate change, starting from the objective reality of facts». And she identifies a key step: «The hardest part is accepting that reality has changed». The focus then becomes energy and direction: «Resizing priorities in order to face the objective reality in front of you».

And her perspective shift is almost a signature: «You must not look at what you’ve lost, but try to see what you can still become».

The stand project: when prosthetic reuse becomes global solidarity

From personal experience also came a concrete project: recovering and reusing prosthetic components where they are truly needed. Viviana explains that it all started with a simple, natural gesture: she wanted to give away prosthetics she had barely used to a girl who only had access to basic models.

Then came the discovery of the legal barrier. «I discovered that prosthetics cannot be reused within the European Community». From there came the strategic question: if they cannot be recycled here, can they elsewhere? «I asked myself whether this surplus could be reused, and I discovered that yes, it could». 

Because for someone who has undergone an amputation, the impact is total: «In the case of amputation, prosthetics are everything. Without prosthetics, there is no life». Today, the project involves collecting, dismantling, and shipping reusable components. «These prosthetics are collected, dismantled, and all the parts that can be recycled are currently being sent to seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa».

There is also a powerful emotional dimension to giving. «I see how much joy people feel when they donate them». Because anyone who lives with a prosthetic knows exactly what it means. «The fact that they can give someone else the ability to walk makes them feel useful».

“Life is always worth living”

Viviana is also working on a personal book about transformation. Her motivation is clear: «What I want to convey above all is that life is always worth living». Without rhetoric, she specifies: «It’s not simply a form of positivity».

Rather, it is a way of looking forward: «Being able to see not what is no longer there, but what can still be done». And her identity choice is clear: «I consciously chose not to let myself be defined by what I had lost».

The future is full of projects: collaboration with a startup working on bionic hands, daily aid solutions for bilateral amputee patients, speaking events, and work with the TEDx Rome team. But the common thread remains one thing: «To keep exploring everything that is possible, both for personal growth and growth in the outside world».

Daily life today: discipline, training, and a “second life”

Viviana’s “second life” is made of new habits and discipline. «Now I train every day». And not in a symbolic way: «I do many different things, including weights, yoga, swimming, sometimes jiu-jitsu classes, and Pilates».A routine she considers essential for living well with prosthetics. «It is fundamental for being able to use prosthetics fully». Her days are then balanced between projects and social life, with clear awareness: «Even though there are objective limitations and my life has radically changed, I am making space for myself to fully live this new phase of my life—this second life».