SHE has battled bankruptcy, depression and the effects of the recession, but Sandra Dean knows one fight she faces is bigger than the rest.

The 35 year old, from Church Road, Benfleet, is passionate about the plight of the orangutan and says battling for the cause has “saved” her.

A former Echo business award winner, Sandra was on the road to business success after turning her passion for travelling into a Spanish holiday rentals business.

But as she attempted to expand the business, a financial partnership turned sour and she found she was left with less than nothing, in fact she was forced to declare herself bankrupt.

“I felt so angry and upset and low,” says Sandra, “It had taken a lot of hard work to get the company going, too much, perhaps, as I had lost friends along the way thanks to being ‘too busy’.

“I felt terrible about being bankrupt and losing my credibility, I had always worked and always had money and savings. Now I had no chance of getting a house or rent and I could see no way of ever moving on.”

Having hit rock bottom financially, Sandra’s health also suffered and she was diagnosed with depression.

“There were times I couldn’t even get myself together to go out of the house,” she reveals, “I had never been in a lonely, low place and I suffered badly.”

That was four years ago and slowly, but surely, Sandra has clawed her way back to better health, thanks largely to the support of her boyfriend of three years, Michael.

She relaunched her business under the name Simply Spain and Beyond, which, although it has now been affected by the recession and the high rate of the euro, is still growing.

But the real turning point came in September last year when the couple embarked on Sandra’s dream trip – to see the orangutans in Borneo.

“I have loved orangutans forever,” Sandra says, “They are just such gorgeous creatures. They are so simple and so innocent, yet we as humans have faced them with extinction.

“This was a trip I had planned 12 years before when I travelled alone, but never got the chance to do,” Sandra explains.

“I had put business and mak-ing money ahead of my dreams.”

During the trip, the couple saw first hand the devastation of the rainforests that has threatened the orangutan’s natural habitat.

They also visited rehabilitation centres set up to care for babies left orphaned by the devastation caused by logging and farming for palm oil.

Sandra says: “The very best thing we saw though was when were trekking and actually managed to see orangutans in the wild, where they are supposed to be. We were absolutely spoiled to see this as it happens so rarely.”

“They are fascinating to me because they are the closest animal to a human. They have 96.8 per cent human DNA and yet they are treated terribly by the human race. Whether it is through deforestation or being sold as a prop for tourists photographs. They are such loving creatures and we torture them.”

Appalled by what she had seen, Sandra returned home with a new sense of determination.

She set up her own internet blog called notjustanessexgirl.com where she promotes campaigns and charities fighting to save the orangutan.

“I have realised money does not matter to orangutans. They only look for safety and I now appreciate what I have, rather than what I have not got,” says Sandra.

“I have collaborated with charities and organisations for Sumatra and Borneo and done thorough research on how to help. Donations are great, but help is most needed at the core of the problem and that is palm oil creation.

“Losing everything was extremely difficult and it whacked my ability to see light at the end of the tunnel. This has sorted me out and has given me back my confidence. I feel like I have purpose in life again and all the old drive I had. I have learned, though, not to put all my eggs in one basket and helping others helps me feel good and keeps me motivated.”