THE AFTERMATH

About the Book

This is the second part of Elsie Frederick’s autobiography, so picking up from the first book and the astonishing saga of George’s Heart Transplant, this brings us right up to date. She is not an author; these are probably the only books she will ever write. At 70 years of age and locked down amidst the Corona Virus, Covid 19, epidemic, she has taken the opportunity to finish the story started over 30 years ago. The ensuing years brought more serious health issues to deal with. From Stroke through to Dementia, the problems she encountered could have been so much easier to deal with if she had received help from her extended family instead of denial, greed, avarice, deceit and lies. Her love and loyalty was tested to the limit. It shows the devastation that can happen between families when support and understanding is needed but not forthcoming. It became, eventually in 2013, catastrophic. What followed was almost too dreadful to believe. It has taken the last 7 years to get her head straight and finally heal herself. She will never get over what happened but at least she can now go forward. It has been a catharsis for her to write, excruciatingly painful but necessary, as it is a true record of what happened and the process has given her the freedom to live and laugh again... Regrets, yes of course, it should never have happened, but it did, and she regards it now as the Ultimate Survival.

About the Author

Elsie Frederick was born in Yorkshire but moved to the East Midlands when she was 6, to London at 12 and back again to the Midlands after finishing school. Her wonderful father, always her hero and inspiration, was a Consultant Mining Engineer, which took their family up and down the country. Her career began as a Management Trainee with the John Lewis Partnership progressing to Staff Manager. She has been a volunteer, Area Organiser and a past County Chairman for the wonderful charity, Action Medical Research, finally becoming Company Secretary for their family business. She is a qualified Interior Designer, and love refurbishing and creating lovely homes and also, in her spare time, love dressmaking, designing and making many outfits for family and friends. She lives in a lovely town that still has a village ethos in the East Midlands. Friendly and welcoming, it has very much become an integral part of her life. She is now a local Parish Councillor and retired from business. Now her time is spent gardening, which she loves, walking her two “best friends”, her Jack Russell’s, and her greatest joy is seeing her children, all grown up into wonderful people, the icing on the cake being her five year old granddaughter who is the light of her life. She is so lucky as well that she still has her mum at nearly 94 and still with her brain as sharp as a tack. If the genes are kind, that gives her hope for another 20 years at least. Her dad sadly died 4 years ago at 93 and she misses his wisdom and humour every day. She is so very lucky to have the most wonderful friends who keep her entertained, supplied with a glass of wine, give her support and have propped her up throughout. They make her laugh and she enjoys a great social life for which she is incredibly grateful. Without her family and friends, she knows that she would not have survived. Not unscathed, definitely damaged, but she is OK.