Growing up I always considered Zia Carla an aunt. Our families were so close and her story was so similar to my mother’s.

Carolina Fodero grew up in Catanzaro, Italy and, like my mom, met an American Coast Guard man named Bill in Calabria, moved all over the place after they got married together. Both had two sons, the first of which was named Joe. Both families lived on the Coast Guard base on Governor’s Island, New York, in southern California, and also in the San Francisco East Bay, where both families ended up settling.

I was always the lucky one because my brother and sister hardly knew their god-parents. Mine was more of a godmother to us all. Over the years my mom and Carla spoke constantly. Even when their ability to visit each other was limited, I tried to drive my mom to Carla’s house for regular visits. It was really tough on Carla when my Mom died from ovarian cancer five years ago. I honestly think Carla was closer to my mom than some of her own siblings back in Italy.

Before and after my mom died I regularly took my daughter to visit Carla and of course I had gone with my ex-wife, which I later found out was pregnant with our daughter in these pictures at Carla’s house. I even took a few of my boyfriends over the years. At first, I was hesitant to introduce them to Carla because I knew she was very pious, but that was silly of me. She always embraced them without hesitation and it made me cry when she told them to “TAKE CARE OF MY GOD-SON!” What a woman!

While she actually survived Covid, she was yet another cancer victim (a sad further similarity to my mom), which makes me all the more determined to learn and fight for health equity, diminish carcinogens and try to encourage others to live healthier lives. I do believe we can all be living longer and better quality lives if we can use science to fight the toxins in our environment. I’m just so glad we had so many good years with someone who had an outspoken heart about her passions.

My husband Shando was, fortunately, able to spend a number of trips with Carla, and before Covid, Carla had some medical issues that had her in nursing facilities that happened to be very close to where I worked. I cherish the chances I had to visit her and I even took some video of Carla saying hello to my family in Italy. This was in 2019, so before Covid:

I was so happy to speak Italian with her as she was continuously surprised how much of it I still spoke. I think it was also a good exercise for her mind to speak both languages. I know it is for mine.

I cherish the pictures I have with her through the years. Here are some of them spanning from the 1960s (at my actual baptism where she is holding me) until just a few years ago: