August 2003

Tried checking luggage on the airlines lately? It has become quite an ordeal, with long lines for security checks, x-rays, and even then baggage is often opened and inspected by hand.

Imagine traveling with 16 large boxes! That’s what dental team coordinator Barbara Schobert had to face in not one, not two, but three airports! She and her team had to carry with them all of the dental supplies they would need for three weeks in the Marshall Islands.

Arriving at the Oakland airport with the first seven boxes, she imagined a nightmare but prayed for a miracle. A porter helped her get the boxes to x-ray, where only two were opened. In Los Angeles, the rest of the team gathered with nine more boxes for a total of 16. Once again the boxes were x-rayed and, amazingly, only two were opened.

Two airports down, one to go—Honolulu—the most difficult of them all! Barbara prepared the team for the usual drill. They would have to collect all of the boxes in Honolulu, transport them to the hotel, then take them back to the airport again the next morning and check them in for their flight to the islands.

When Barbara got to the counter, she said a prayer and then asked to have the boxes checked straight through to Kwajalein, their final destination. Luggage is NEVER checked all the way through Honolulu, and the agent of course said no. But Barbara asked again, saying, "It’s okay to check them. Just look in your computer. The agent protested, but finally agreed to look in her computer. An incredulous look came over her face and she said, "You’re right. Your boxes are clear to go all the way to Kwajalein!"

Once on Ebeye, the team found only one dentist and two local assistants to serve 10,000 people. The Canvasback dentists are seeing patients ranging from four years old to 70. They really have their work cut out for them!