In June, the American Red Cross commended Sister Martha Bertke on reaching her 18 gallon milestone in 144 lifetime blood donations. The Red Cross gifted her with a lapel pin as a symbol of her dedication to helping save lives. “There are many ways of being a life-giving presence to others,” Sister Martha said, referring to the Congregation’s mission statement to be “a life-giving, reconciling presence in our fractured world.”
She added that a small magnet that she keeps on her refrigerator continues to motivate her to donate blood. It reads: 3 is how many lives one blood donation can help save. The American Red Cross reports that someone in the U.S. needs a blood transfusion every two seconds. The organization supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood.
Poster, 1949. AmericanRed Cross.