Claire Fodero-Stokes:
CLASS OF 1976
Hanover Park High SchoolClass of 1976
East hanover, NJ
University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey - Center for Advanced & Continuing EducationClass of 1979
Scotch plains, NJ
Livingston High SchoolClass of 1976
Livingston, NJ
Heritage Junior High SchoolClass of 1972
Livingston, NJ
Burnet Hill Elementary SchoolClass of 1968
Livingston, NJ
Claire's Story
Life
I was a dental hygienist but that ended after 10 yrs at 30 when I became disabled with a bad bad bad back. I have lived in severe pain since then but you wouldn't know it unless you saw me at home really. My life has been very hard and nothing that I imagined it would be. I wanted kids my whole life but instead God gave me dogs whom I adore and thank Him for daily. I waited for a true love and got it but my husband was brainwashed by a cult and it was tragic for me. I have spent the last 20 yrs caretaking people and I became a christian minister at 32. I am still a Catholic and I still love and respect my faith there. God is the center focus of my life but I am not a judgmental or condemning person and actually I am in opposition of that behavior. I am loving and forgiving in a way I never thought possible. I have compassion for suffering of any type due to all my hardships. I have become a better person thru all the tragedies of my life. I am grateful that my parents are still alive and able to have a quality life. My dad was very ill and I was his caretaker . I did it by the Grace of God no kidding. I had the flu for 10 mths from all the stress and I lost so much weight but now I am in a healing phase of life. I wanted to live at the beach for 20 yrs and I made it here 2 yrs ago. I seriously could write a book here but I think that's enough. I believe in Fate/Destiny and I don't play God I just get up everyday and I pray to do His Will and for His Will to be done in my life . Honestly Jesus Christ is the Love of my Life and I made a serious commitment to him in 1992 . He brought me a true divine love / husband and regardless of the outcome I know what it is and I was committed to my husband for many years praying for him to get well and I waited for him a long time. But God has led me thru a Catholic annulment and I have peace with my past. It is freeing to work thru adversity and come thru the other side. That is where I am now and I believe that God has a perfect plan for my life from now until the end. I also believe it's good and full of surprises. I have a simple peaceful life. I live on a low fixed disability income and somehow God gets me thru but I have to live on faith and I do in all things. To me Love is the most important thing in this whole life I live and I love and help people whenever God asks because I simply believe in the golden rule: do unto others as you wish them to do unto you...I'm not perfect but I review each day and I ask God if I have been fair and just and if I could do better..that will go on until I meet him in heaven. God Bless..Rev Claire Fodero-Stokes
update: a miracle is beginning in my life i will post again when it comes to fruition...8/14/2008
School
I started school at 4 yrs old in Livingston I truly loved Livingston . WE moved to E Hanover for high school and I didn't find the people as open and friendly so I ran for class office when I first got there in 9th grade and of course I lost. But I ran again in 10th grade for secretary and had my best friend run for treasurer and we were elected for 10th 11th and 12th grade.I also loved sports so I kept score for basketball and my favorite sport then, lacrosse. Luckily they had a team at Hanover Park H.S>
I worked so hard since 14 yrs old along with having to work hard in school ( not a natural genius by far)that I got mononucleosis in my senior year so I was pretty wiped out but still graduated top tenth of the class.
Then I started college that summer.
Hanover Park was an excellent school
I was fortunate to have very good public education from k-12..my parents chose to live where we could get the best education. I appreciated it even though I hated moving for high school.
College
The first year of college was great. ...Expand for more
All premed type of classes. Then the next year I started dental hygiene program which was so hard and took up my entire life.Imagine spending a whole saturday just carving a tooth out of wax..8 hrs.on top of mass studies all in science with labs and clinicals.It was so awful that more than half of us ended up cracking towards the end of the program.They were constantly threatening us we wouldn't graduate. All I can say for the dental hygiene program is when I was done, I said I would never do it again for a million dollars and I meant it. I loved the work only cause I specialized in doing surgeries with a great dr in california. He would open the flap, I would do all the work , then he would finish with bone grafts.
I was specialized in Periodontal work which was more stimulating for me.That ended in my disability from many hours of bending over doing the perio work but I wouldn't have been happy just cleaning teeth.
Workplace
I started working at 14 at my uncles diner in Livingston,NJ as a hostess/cashier then at 15 1/2 I started working at Shop Rite as a checker. Senior year I worked as a dental assistant. Then I became a waitress thru college.
After becoming a dental hygienist, I still worked Shop Rite a little for fun . Then I moved to California and worked at the front desk for Holiday Inn near Disney.
I even drove this huge van to pick up people from hotels and Disney and everyone would laugh when I got out to lift the luggage cause I was so small . I had to drive with pillows from beds to reach the pedals. Funny. I did that until I took my state exams to get my license to practice dental hygiene. Then I decided to go back to college for more education to do counseling with a specialty in alcohol/ drug abuse. I finished that and moved to Los Angeles. I then was sad I wasn't married and had no children so on my weekends I worked in a facility with 300+ severely emotionally disturbed kids from 12-18 yrs old. Most were there for juvenille detention but some were there cause they had no one and were just placed in the dept of children services.Those kids were full of love and starving for it. They were the highlight of my life's work and it came in handy when i met and married my husband because he too was one of them as a child. Long story short, even after I got disabled my work continued to present in counseling all ages, all problems ( not out of my range of competency) and have worked in prison ministry many years. I don't go to prisons much anymore but still do some work mainly i help the hurting/ sick/ suffering and mostly the poor/ those struggling up from ground zero . I get them furniture and all the basis essentials and lead them to food etc which i have had to do myself. I help whoever God asks daily and with that God assures me I will have a roof over my head and food in my stomach even when i look at my checkbook and i have no idea how..God finds a way.. so as for my career..I have been a counselor/ spiritual advisor for 19 yrs. So that was my true calling. I do it for God and for my love of mankind and don't think i'm stupid cause for 20 yrs i have had a roof over my head and food in my stomach and the math doesn't add up..if you saw my income ..you would say? how does she do it??
Faith. Love and Trust in God.
I end in saying..no I don't like living this way, at all, i cannot help but wonder how I will get thru the month but I can say..I always do.. by the Grace of God. praying that a new life comes where i don't have to struggle this way anymore but until then..I accept it. "i have learned to be content in whatever state i am in" i understand that verse from the bible. things are now moving slowly to a miracle but i will write more when it arrives..stay tuned.. posting this on (8/14/2008)
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