Elaine Anstead's body was in plaster and she was in terrible pain as a result of a rare spinal condition, writes Rebecca Smith.
But she never gave up hope of making a recovery - and is now running her own bridal shop.
Elaine, 46, of Mayfield Close, Chalgrove, was in plaster from her neck to her bottom for three months.
She said: "It was like being a tortoise carrying that around. I was doing well in my job at Sainsbury's, but had to give up and go on incapacity benefit. "There was just no way I was going to give up. I was going to fight right to the end."
Elaine was nominated for an award by Oxford College of Further Education, in Oxpens Road, Oxford, after she went back to college to learn needlework.
She is now running her own dressmaking company, Beau Bells, from home.
She said: "When I started the business, I didn't know how to sew on a button so I went to college to learn and now three years on, it is doing well."
Elaine, who now employs four seamstresses, was nominated in the Adult Learners Week Awards 99 for the central region.
Story date: Tuesday 25 May
Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article