By Gordon Williams

As a long-time critical care nurse, Joy Luck-Cain of Spokane knows full-well the life-saving value of donated blood. A critically ill person receives a blood transfusion every two seconds at a hospital somewhere in the United States.

But Joy has her own story of how blood can save lives. Years ago, daughter Joslyn was rushed to the hospital, suffering from severe internal bleeding from a perforated ulcer. By the time Joy and daughter Carisse reached the hospital, Joslyn was in shock and intense pain, in critical condition.

“They didn’t give her much chance of surviving,” Joy says, “all we could do was hold each other and pray.”

Joslyn received four transfusions that night to replace the blood she was losing. The pain continued unabated.

“She was in terrible pain and moaned the whole night,” Joy says. “You can’t give pain medication when you are getting transfusions.”

But the four units of new blood did the trick. Joslyn survived the night, recovered quickly, and remains alive and healthy more than three decades after the event.

Joy has never forgotten that night and the memory has turned her into one of the nation’s most committed blood donors.

She isn't sure how much blood she has donated over the years, but the amount can certainly be measured in gallons. Beyond that, Joy works tirelessly to get others to donate.

“Donating blood fills me with the same joy I feel when I go to church. It is a minor sacrifice for the greater good,” Joy says.

Beyond giving blood, she has also been a disaster responder for the Red Cross--offering her nursing skills to the Red Cross when needed. Her most recent response was to the wildfires that swept the Spokane area late in 2023. 

Joslyn’s next birthday will be in November. “I will have a party and invite everyone in the family to donate blood,” she says. “That means at least 10 people donating blood--maybe more.”

Guest of honor at the party will be Joslyn herself--still alive and healthy thanks to the donated blood that saved her life.