I don't know what it would take to stop me. I am just so darn stubborn. Tuesday I felt kinda off so I made all of the gumpaste flowers I needed for this weekend so if I got sick i would be ahead of the game. (my boyfriend had just gotten over pneumonia do I was preparing to get whatever virus he had first).
Well I was already taking weds off since I had to do a cake sat. Wednesday evening I end up in the ER with appendicitis. Thurs am I have surgery to remove my appendix. They let me go home late thurs evening. And guess what, Friday morning I to to work. Those 150 cupcakes, that 6in cutting cake and that 3 tier wedding cake, all weren't going to make themselves!
Luckily I had some help. Normally I work alone, but the chef and sous chef of the venue I am based out of really stepped up and helped me out... So did the vicodin. Lol.
Does anyone else have stories like this? Or have you found what stops you? Hoping I'm not the only crazy one out there! Lol. Thanks for listening to my story.

WOW! You just keep trucking along. Your cakes are absolutely gorgeous!!

Death and thats about it lol.

When you're on your own, you have no choice but to do it!

Several years ago when I had my bakery, a pain in my abdomen hit hard. Really hard. But it was just before Thanksgiving and I had work to do, right? A couple of weeks later it happened again. I said ouch and kept going. Who else could do my work? We're indispensable, right? The following month I had abdominal fibroid surgery and the doctor found an infected appendix. I almost didn't live to tell about this.

I have often wondered about this myself. So far, I haven't had to face that issue. I think, I would simply explain to the customer what the real life issue was that kept me from making their cake.

On second thought...perhaps I have faced something similar. In August, the Island I live on was separated into two (again) by Hurricane Irene, and the only access was a 2 hour ferry ride. I had a bride who wanted to get married on the island but at the time, only local people were permitted to be on the island, right after the hurricane. The bride called me repeatedly and asked, "Do you think there is anyway I can have my wedding this weekend?" At that point, we were still in a state of evacuation. My response, "Uh...no! I can't even get on the island and I live there!"
She called me back and asked if she planned the wedding later if I could still do her cake. I explained that the location she wanted to now have her wedding was 2 hours away with out the ferry ride that that it would be impossible for me to deliver I HOPE YOU ARE SITTING DOWN, AN 8" WEDDING CAKE WITH A 5 INCH TOPPER VIA A TWO HOUR DRIVE PLUS A 2 HOUR FERRY RIDE. I was just not going make the 8 hour round trip to deliver such a small cake! I just explained that under the circumstances there was no way possible I would be able to do her wedding cake for her at this time.
Then I seriously wondered if she was 'blonde'. (I am a blonde, I can say this)

Yeah... death and that's pretty much it.

Not really. I had pneumonia a few years ago in May, but I had booked so fully that I didn't take time to rest or go to the doc or anything. By my first June weekend, I delivered a cake, delivered cupcakes, and then took myself to the emergency room with very low o2 levels and now permanent lung damage. I did though call another decorator and ask her to make my gumpaste roses for the upcoming weeks order so I could rest for 2 days.