My name is Joyce Thompson and I live in Tempe, Arizona. I am a cousin of Sister Optata (my Grandmother Nelly Donskey and Sister were first cousins). Once Sister Optata entrusted me to work on her life story, it took me ten years to complete this wonderful project. I had to organize the letters and materials Sister gave me, plus work to find all the missing information, such as the time spent in a concentration camp during World War II when the Japanese invaded China. Writing this story was a real work of love. I hope it will be an inspiration to everyone who reads it. Sister M. Optata Fries was truly a "Sister of Sacrifice" her entire life.