Ropes were thrown and caught. The music was loud and cheerful. It came from two speakers on deck. In spite of her nervousness, Tessie smiled. She liked music. The M.V. Christmas Seal wasn't at all like the boats she was used to. It was so clean and white. It didn't smell of fish. The smiling people gathered on deck were not fishermen. Even though its mission was serious, a carnival feeling surrounded the boat.

The M.V. Christmas Seal was indeed special. There was no other boat like it in Newfoundland. It travelled all around the coast and visited hundreds of communities. But it did not load fish or drop off supplies like most boats. It had a different mission. It was a battleship and its enemy was tuberculosis. Newfoundland had the highest rate of TB in all of North America. Every year hundreds of people died of the "The Silent Menace." Hundreds more had operations or became too ill to work. Families were broken up. Children were sent to live with relatives and, sometimes, to orphanages.

Since 1947, the M.V. Christmas Seal had visited many Newfoundland communities so people could get a free chest x-ray. If someone did have the disease it was important to catch it quickly. The doctors and nurses on board the M.V. Christmas Seal also taught people about TB. They vaccinated children and adults. In later years, they also tested people for diabetes and gave information and help to the disabled.

The M.V. Christmas Seal had first visited Eddy's Cove three weeks before. Tessie remembered the day well. As the ship pulled into the wharf the music drew everyone's attention. And then the voice of Captain Peter Troake came over the loudspeakers inviting everyone to come aboard "for a free chest x-ray." Just about everyone in Eddy's Cove had come down to greet the ship. Like Tessie, they had stood patiently in line. Tessie had been a little frightened. It was her first x-ray. She wasn't sure what to expect. The doctors and nurses were nice. The x-ray did not hurt. She was surprised when it was over so quickly. But Tessie was worried. In February, her grandmother had died of "consumption" as the old people called it. Was that TB? Tessie wasn't sure. Just about everyone in Eddy's Cove was related to or knew someone who had died of consumption. Even her Uncle Tim had died from a lung disease. In the last six months Tessie herself had developed shortness of breath. She was often tired and coughed a lot. Sometimes she spit up blood. She had also lost weight. There was no doctor or nurse in Eddy's Cove to tell her what was wrong. But the M.V. Christmas Seal had come and given her an x-ray. Three weeks later, it was back with the results.