GABRIEL was 17 when he hit the gym for the first time, working out to sculpt and build his body. He told Truly: "I wanted to be appealing to the opposite sex. I wanted to be a big, strong man." Determined to look his best, Gabriel dedicated three hours each day to training. "I just wanted to be bigger than everyone else," he admitted. One day in November 2020, Gabriel did a 50 kilos bicep curl when things took a dramatic turn. He explained: "I heard a loud snapping sound. Screamed in the middle of the gym, dropped the weight and went to the hospital." Assessing his injuries, doctors told Gabriel that they would have to reattach his bicep with elective surgery. However, just days after the operation, Gabriel was rushed back to hospital and put in an induced coma for 10 days. Gabriel had contracted an infection called necrotising-fasciitis. He said: "It's basically a bug that kills your flesh. The infection was spreading. They just had to keep removing flesh because it was spreading so rapidly and I was more likely to die than pull through." Luckily, Gabriel survived, but to save his life, surgeons were forced to amputate his right arm. "It wasn't until three days after I woke up that I looked in the mirror and my arm was missing. It was confronting to say the least," he said. In this episode of Shake My Beauty, we'll hear about the physical and mental obstacles that Gabriel has endured since that life-changing day. Reflecting on his journey, Gabriel revealed: "Beauty comes in many forms. Regardless of how you look, it's still important to be a beautiful person on the inside."

Follow Gabriel here - https://www.instagram.com/gabelieschke/