Into The Flames / Matador (ePub)

What would drive a 49 year-old fire officer to make a decision that would lead to him losing his marriage, children, career, and everything he's ever worked for? The answer is a desire to live a different life, a life that had been denied him and to try to find the true happiness that had eluded him for so long. It is this overpowering need to live an authentic life that lies at the core of this book and it covers various aspects of the transition process from male to female. It spans an entire lifetime - from the earliest attempts of a child to understand why, to the confused adolescent years, then on to desperate middle age and finally through to the present day. It describes the impact of gender dysphoria on a life and the subsequent desperate and futile struggle against a transitional tide that culminated in painful realisation in the April of 2015. It's an account of one person's attempt to cope with transition, from the initial feelings of desperate isolation and loneliness through to newfound understanding, acceptance and empowerment.The book covers many of the experiences involved in adjusting to a new life, the losses and gains, dealing with a judgmental society, passing successfully, emotional ups and downs, some practicalities, feminising surgery, TV documentaries and new opportunities!All of the above are expressed from the viewpoint of a recently serving fire officer because after all "e;You can take the girl out of the fire service but you certainly can't take the fire service out of the girl!"e; It's a reflective and personal account of one person's journey and as such it ranges from the sad to the humorous and back again in equal measure - it's a little crazy but then again that's transition for you.