Create an account on a mail server elsewhere. In your Google settings, create an email forwarder to the new email address. Optionally use your IMAP client to push your Google emails up to the new email server. Optionally copy all your emails to local folders and back them up to USB SSD drives.
The new mail provider may have options to ignore the relay host in your spam rules should you wish to reduce the risk of emails forwarded from Gmail being flagged as spam. Get the Google relay host DNS names from your email headers.
I am staying out of G products except Gmail, but if you need your emails delivered (to Gmail addresses) I am afraid it's the only solution as of right now.
I'd assume you'd have no problem downloading a local copy of your mail. I think of EM Client as having an interface a lot like Outlook but unlike Outlook it actually works.