Last Christmas, she had a heart attack. Medics thankfully managed to resuscitate her after 25 minutes. “I didn’t see anything – no light at the end of the tunnel,” she jokes with us. “I did see a face looking down at me, but it was just the nurse.”
Her heart attack meant that she struggled to get about like she used to. We worked with Neighbours in Poplar to provide her with a wheelchair. We also liaised with Social Services to get her a stairlift and a walk-in shower as well as a care package. Our priority was to make sure that she was comfortable in her home and to limit the amount of stress she was under. That included helping her with registration forms to help her get emotional and practical support.
While we speak with Florica she brings up that there are bubbles in the lino that we fitted. “I’ll need that fixed,” she tells Simona – who diligently takes note.
Florica has an eye for detail in large part because she spent years working in construction. “I worked as a bricklayer,” she says. “Me and my husband and two children came to the UK from Romania in the 1980s. In my culture, we are expected to work hard. So I would go to evening classes to become a bricklayer. We covered health and safety and other things.”
Christmas this year
Florica wants to enjoy her Christmas this year – after last one was spent in hospital. She’ll be making Christmas dinner with her two sons. “I can’t drink much because of the medication I’m on – but I’ll have a brandy for sure,” she tells us, giving Simona a wink as she does. I would like to make my children a bit happier than last Christmas, as it was a very scary time for everyone.”
“My husband taught me to cook,” she explains. “He was a chef. I didn’t even know how to boil an egg until he showed me. Sometimes when I cook I can feel him with me. I can almost hear him shouting: ‘turn the heat down!’”
Florica lost her husband a few years ago, after caring for him for 17 years. “I was very depressed when I lost him,” she says. “But I can still feel he’s with me.”
After losing her husband she turned to darts. She would go to her local pub and play darts with friends. She also made new friends while playing. She proudly shows us some of the trophies that she has won playing darts.
