Award-winning make-up artist rediscovers craft after a coma left her paralysed, saying make-up is ‘like riding a bike’

A make-up artist who was paralysed from the neck down after waking from a coma is fighting to walk again and relearning her craft, saying doing make-up is “like riding a bike”.

Originally from Bangkok, Thailand, Kitty Noofah, 39, moved to London in 2008 to study a master’s degree in hotel and tourism management.

Realising where her true passions lay, she enrolled at Delamar Academy in 2015 for a one-year professional course in hair, make-up and special effects, graduating top of her class.

Her career took off after she became the first Thai person to win the UK Make-up Competition, and later placed second in the World Make-up Competition – leading to opportunities working with brands including Chanel and Charlotte Tilbury, and working at London Fashion Week.

In 2019, though, Kitty was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and the following year a severe flare-up led to emergency surgery, multiple infections and a coma.

Just as doctors planned to remove her oxygen support, with her family instructed to travel to the UK to say their goodbyes, Kitty says she miraculously woke – but was paralysed from the neck down.

“I don’t know what happened. No-one knows why I woke up, even the doctors can’t explain it,” Kitty told PA Real Life.

“If I was in Thailand, I would be dead already, because in Thailand private hospitals are really expensive – I wouldn’t have had the money to pay for the medical bills,” she added.

Prior to her life-changing illness, Kitty had been dedicated to her “true passion” of make-up artistry.

“I was one of the oldest on my (training) course, so I had to work really hard,” she said.

“I didn’t have any money, so I practised make-up on friends and students in school productions. I did everything for free to learn.”

The practice paid off; six months after graduating in 2016, she became the first Thai person to win the UK Make-up Competition and later placed second in the World Make-up Competition in 2017.

She went on to work with luxury brands including Chanel, Charlotte Tilbury and Guerlain, design looks for London Fashion Week and Notting Hill Carnival, and saw her work featured in publications such as Vogue and Elle.

In July 2012, Kitty welcomed a child with her husband, who she is now separated from.

In 2019, Kitty began experiencing fatigue, abdominal pain and unusual bowel movements, leading to a Crohn’s disease diagnosis.

A flare-up in 2020 left her losing blood through bowel movements “more than 20 times a day”.

Doctors warned that without urgent surgery, Kitty would die, but operating was also risky due to her low immune system.

After surgery to fit a stoma bag, through a loop ileostomy, Kitty developed several infections including disseminated tuberculosis and pneumonia, leading to multiple organ failure, and she was placed in a coma.

She claims she remained unconscious for almost a year and was later told that doctors were planning to switch off her life support when she unexpectedly woke up, only to find she was paralysed from the neck down.

“The doctors told my friend to tell my family in Thailand to come to the UK to see me for the last time because I was dying – but they couldn’t come because of the Covid-19 pandemic,” Kitty said.

“When I woke up from the coma, I couldn’t remember much. I even forgot that I had a child. I felt really upset … why did I forget?” she added.

Kitty was finally discharged from hospital in April 2025.

“I don’t remember much from after I came out,” she said.

“I didn’t know how to take care of myself – sometimes I forgot to eat or drink.”

Despite struggling with low mood, she has been working to rebuild her mobility through physiotherapy and is determined to regain her independence so she can return to work.

One turning point came when she started to use a manual wheelchair in August 2024.

“At first I didn’t want it, but my physio said it would help my arms, and it did. After a few months I was strong enough to hold a brush again,” she said.

Kitty began doing make-up looks for friends – using their own make-up, as hers had expired while she was unwell – and slowly her confidence came back.

“My sister bought me a Charlotte Tilbury set for Christmas last year,” she said.

“It was my first make-up since the coma.”

She added: “Makeup is like riding a bike – when I started again it just came back to me. It felt amazing.”

Despite her efforts to regain her mobility, Kitty’s doctors cannot say with certainty if she will ever walk again.

Despite initial fears about how people would treat her, Kitty has found surprising comfort in life as a wheelchair user.

“I thought it was going to make my life so miserable, but it’s good. Everyone here is so nice,” she said.

She has been moved by the kindness of strangers, from people offering to help her navigate ramps or push her chair into shops, to train passengers who supported her when a service terminated unexpectedly without an accessible exit.

Kitty says posting on social media has helped her stay connected to her creative career and supported her through some of her darkest moments.

While Kitty understands she might not be able to return to her career as a professional make-up artist any time soon, she intends to pivot to online make-up teaching and is keen to develop her own make-up palette suitable “for all skin tones”.

Ultimately, Kitty remains determined to return to life as a non wheelchair user.

“If I can walk again, I can go back to work, provide for my child – they give me the determination to recover,” Kitty said.