Clourer Grady, 72, was sentenced to prison for drug offenses multiple times in the early 1990s — but that wasn’t the end of her story.

After her release from prison, she became a drug and alcohol counselor at Trinitas Regional Medical Center in Elizabeth, where she worked for more than 17 years until her retirement. Grady helped others through the same drug treatment she credits with saving her life.

She also earned her bachelor’s degree along the way. Though she had rebuilt her life, another critical goal remained — clearing her criminal record and proving to the state that she had lived a life worthy of forgiveness.

She achieved that last month when Gov. Phil Murphy announced he was pardoning 40 people in New Jersey, including Grady.

“Any time I think about receiving a pardon I s

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