I had the pleasure of volunteering with Jack over the course of 7 (he went the year before I joined as well) dental mission trips to Cambodia. Though these trips were relatively short, about a week and a half each, the intensity of the shared experiences resulted in a unique bond between us. I’ll do my best to summarize these experiences into words below.
TL:DR Jack was a mentor for me- our bond formed during shared experiences under challenging conditions .
The first time I met Jack was at an informational meeting for the annual medical/dental trip to Cambodia. I was quite anxious socially, as I did not attend the church that was organizing, so did not know too many people. It had also been just a year since graduating dental school, so I was pretty green, nervous to be doing dental work outside a proper office. The meeting did not offer a lot of time for talking, but Jack came across as warm and welcoming- we quickly realized we were both lefty dentists and had a laugh about that. We exchanged email addresses, and by the time I drove home, he had already sent me spreadsheets and lists of all the gear we would need. This degree of organizational detail alleviated my anxieties about volunteering- Jack was going to make sure we were prepared. During our first day in the field, we were mostly removing abscessed teeth, Jack came across a tricky situation. A multi-rooted upper molar with divergent roots was too broken to remove traditionally. At home, a simple sectioning with the handpiece would do the trick, but we did not have electricity or a compressor. I took a look and was able to use a hand instrument to section the tooth into individual roots to allow removal. Jack was impressed by the resourcefulness of this rookie, and made sure the rest of the group heard about it, saying: ‘I thought I was going to have to show this greenhorn how to do everything, and here he is helping me!’ It really was not that big of a deal, but his response did a lot to give me confidence. The ice was broken, and our working relationship had room to grow from there.
A typical day volunteering in Cambodia was hot, sweaty, back-breaking work in poor conditions- definitely not glamorous. After each day in the field, Jack would return to his room, shower, have dinner, then spend the rest of the evening going through the supplies which he stored in his room. He’d carefully count the number of consumables that needed to be replaced, and meticulously repack the bags for the next day. I’d try to help him, but would frequently abandon him to go socialize with some of the Cambodian interpreters. Jack did not mind, he just wanted to be sure we’d have what was needed for the next day’s patients. He showed commitment to caring for the dental needs of those he had not even met before. Upon returning stateside, he’d be sending emails and calling to plan what needed to be prepared for the next trip, and our services provided expanded to preventative treatments, cleanings, and even some fillings. He was also passionate about problem-solving ways to improve our impact on the annual trip,
Most of our energy on the trips were consumed by providing care, and we would frequently have long lines waiting for our services. Hard work, dripping in sweat. Everyso often, there would be a break in patient demand, and sometimes Jack’s goofy side would come out. He loved to brag about the Minnesota retractor having been developed at his dental school. He once decided to put on all the headlamps and flashlights he could find at the same time, switching them on to strobe mode, walking around to our (and the ever-present kids spectating) amusement. He enjoyed having those around him smile. Being around such a caring dentist has had, and continues to have a profound impact on my career.
Mark Tranby
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