Andrea de Gabriel shares her incredible story and highlights the importance of resilience in business – and in life.
If you’d told me at the start of this year that I’d spend ten weeks in hospital, lose the ability to walk, lift my arms or even swallow, I’d never have believed you.
Yet that’s exactly what happened.
In January, I was diagnosed with Myositis, a rare autoimmune disease that attacks the muscles. Until then, I was running my portrait and personal branding photography business, working with wonderful clients across Cornwall, Plymouth and Devon. Then, almost overnight, everything changed.
Within days, I found myself in hospital, unable to walk and dependent on others for even the most basic everyday tasks.
As business owners, we’re used to solving problems. We plan, adapt, make decisions and keep moving forward. Suddenly, I couldn’t do any of those things.
Instead, my world became measured by much smaller victories.
Lifting an arm.
Standing up.
Taking one step.
Then another.
The Power of Looking Forward
Throughout my recovery, I kept telling myself one thing:
“I will walk again.”
I didn’t know when.
I didn’t know how long it would take.
I just knew I had to believe it.
Recovery isn’t a straight line. There are setbacks, frustrations and days when progress feels painfully slow. But I discovered something that applies just as much to business as it does to rehabilitation: consistency matters more than speed.
Small improvements, repeated every day, eventually become significant progress.
It’s a lesson I’ll carry with me long after my recovery is complete.
Returning to the Business I Love
After returning home in late March, I focused on rebuilding my strength while continuing my rehabilitation.
Like many self-employed people, I couldn’t wait to get back to work. But I also knew that rushing my recovery would be counterproductive.
Learning to pace myself has probably been one of my biggest challenges.
In mid-June, I returned to work with two bookings for my 50 Over 50 Amazing Women Project.
Walking back into the studio and picking up my camera again was far more emotional than I expected.
Photography has never simply been a job for me. It’s about helping people see themselves differently. It’s about confidence, connection and celebrating people’s stories.
After everything I’d been through, standing behind the camera again reminded me exactly why I love what I do.
Those first two clients probably don’t realise quite how much they helped my recovery simply by allowing me to do what I love again.
A New Business Born During Recovery
Sometimes difficult circumstances create unexpected opportunities.
During my recovery, I finally launched a project that had lived in my imagination for years: For Fox’s Sake Designs.
Inspired by my lifelong love of foxes, it combines original artwork with humour, modern design and a growing range of products including posters, apparel, mugs, tote bags and gifts.
Starting a second business while recovering from a serious illness might sound ambitious, but creativity became an important part of my recovery.
It reminded me that although my circumstances had changed, my ability to create hadn’t.
In many ways, it became proof that difficult chapters don’t have to stop us building something new.
Celebrating the Milestones
Recovery isn’t defined by one big moment.
It’s made up of countless small ones.
For me, one of the most memorable wasn’t business-related at all.
It was returning to the beach and walking into the sea again.
Earlier in the year, that had felt impossibly far away.
Standing in the water again reminded me just how much can change in a matter of months.
Professionally, being nominated twice for the Phoenix Award at the West Country Women Awards has also been incredibly meaningful. Not because of the recognition itself, but because it represents resilience, determination and refusing to give up.
What Business Owners Can Learn From Adversity
No one chooses to face challenges like this.
But if there’s one lesson I’ve taken from the past six months, it’s this:
Resilience isn’t about pretending everything is fine.
It’s about adapting.
It’s about asking for help when you need it.
It’s about accepting that progress isn’t always fast, but still choosing to move forward.
Running a business has always required resilience.
This experience has simply given that word a much deeper meaning.
Looking Ahead
I’m still recovering.
I still attend rehabilitation.
I still have to manage my energy carefully and remind myself that recovery is ongoing.
But I’m back doing what I love.
I’m photographing clients again.
I’m growing two businesses.
I’ve launched my podcast, Stubbornly Vertical, to raise awareness of Myositis and share the realities of
recovery.
Most importantly, I’m looking forward rather than looking back.
If my experience has taught me anything, it’s that our greatest challenges don’t have to define us.
They can reshape us.
They can give us a fresh perspective.
And sometimes, they can lead us to opportunities we might never have discovered otherwise.
To every business owner navigating their own challenges – whether personal or professional – I hope my story offers one simple reminder:
Don’t underestimate the power of taking one more step.
Sometimes, that’s all it takes to begin moving forward again.
Find out more about Cornwall Portrait and Branding Photography.
