Joanne

It was just one more in a series of mechanical problems to plague the team of Canvasback volunteers serving the Namonuito Atoll.  On Makur Island, the generator used for the dental clinic stopped putting out current and a special part was needed to fix it.  The engineer tried making radio contact with the main island to find a replacement, but instead he reached John Krum, a missionary on Paata Island, who said that they were welcome to borrow his generator.

When the ship reached Paata, the already rough and windy weather had turned for the worse.  John came out to meet them in a boat with the replacement generator, plus one very sick little girl named Joanne.  In addition to having two boils on her forehead, Joanne's left eye was swollen like a golf ball.

The doctor diagnosed it as "periorbital cellulitis" and said that it was very dangerous, because the veins that drain the face drain back toward the brain. He was concerned that Joanne could quickly develop meningitis and die unless she received immediate intravenous antibiotic treatment.

Joanne's mother and aunt had not intended to take her to the hospital in Weno, however, they agreed to go there with the ship for treatment.

Each day after that, someone from the Canvasback team checked on Joanne and prayed with her family. The second day after her admittance, she remained very ill as she lay clutching a little stuffed animal the captain's son had given her.

But, by the fourth day, Joanne had turned the corner and was once again smiling and even jumping up and down happily on her bed.

So what started out as a mechanical breakdown ended up with the saving of a precious child's life.

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