By Jenny Farley

It had been about ten years since Marcy Letizia donated blood, so when her friend Mary texted that they should do it she thought, “I’ve been trying to do new things and trying to have a new chapter of life a little bit so, I figured I might as well.”

Letizia showed up to donate at an American Red Cross blood drive hosted by Pacifico Ford in Southwest Philadelphia, held in cooperation with the Ford Building Together initiative and Major League Baseball.

When she was checking in, someone mentioned to her that there was a celebrity there that day.

“Who?” she asked.

Bryan Cranston, she was told. Letizia couldn’t believe it. “I didn’t think she was correct. I was like, ‘No, no’!”

Letizia and her husband own a tattoo shop in New Jersey. Her husband is the artist who tattooed, what is arguably the most famous TV character Cranston has ever played, on Letizia’s thigh about 13 years ago.

“Breaking Bad’s” Walter White. “We’re kind of super fans.”

She said, “I had no idea he was here. I just came to the blood drive.”

Cranston has won so many awards it’s hard to list them all. He’s been nominated for an Oscar. He’s won multiple Emmys, a Golden Globe and two Tony awards and many more.

He’s an actor, producer and director. He’s the voice of Ford Motor Company and has done commercials for Ford for nearly ten years. He’s supported numerous causes and has a long history of philanthropy on his own and with Ford Philanthropy.

He’s also a blood donor.

Before he arrived at Pacifico Ford, Cranston promoted the drive from Center City on his Instagram.

He talked about being in town for Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game and mentioned the Red Cross, and two organizations that help feed hungry people in need – World Central Kitchen and Sharing Excess.

“What I’m here for is to bring awareness to these three great organizations that help our communities,” he said.

He urged people to come say hello to him and said, “I’m going to be giving blood.”

Many people caught that post and came to Pacifico Ford to see him, but stayed to donate blood, just like Cranston.

He felt strongly that in his case, to inspire people to donate, he wanted to do it himself or else his words would be “hollow,” he said.

And that’s how one of Cranston’s biggest fans got introduced to the only celebrity she’s ever wanted to meet.

Letizia has two kids, who are 17 and 24. She said they watched Cranston’s hit series “Malcolm in the Middle” from the time they were little.

“It’s strange that everything aligned, that I actually got the meeting. It was crazy cool.”

She was wearing black stockings, but she ripped them just enough to show Cranston the tattoo of his face.

He joked, “I’ve got a tattoo of you!” And they both laughed.

Letizia won’t forget it. He was “so down to earth and normal and nice,” she said.

Nearly 25 years ago, Letizia nearly died when she lost too much blood giving birth to her daughter.

Platelet transfusions helped saved her. As soon as she recovered, she became a blood donor.

The American Red Cross is facing an emergency blood shortage as the blood supply fell nearly 25% in June. There is also an emergency need for platelets. Donors are urgently needed to give now to help ensure patients receive lifesaving medical care without delay. The shortage is especially serious for types O positive and B negative blood. Visit RedCrossBlood.org to schedule an appointment to donate.