Finding Chika: A Little Girl, an Earthquake, and the Making of a Family

Albom tells Chika’s ghost about his ideas of fatherhood and where they originated. Albom’s own father was a strong, compassionate man who only spoke as much as he needed to. Albom remembers his father as being a source of protection and safety—someone he could always rely on. Albom took Chika to meet his father shortly before the latter died, and Chika referred to him as “Pop Pop.” Albom talked to his father about the effort parenthood requires, and his father simply responded, “That’s what having children is” (114). Albom hopes that he grew into some of his father’s traits and that he was able to pass on to Chika and the other children at the orphanage the sense of safety he felt with his own father. Albom recalls Chika’s vibrant clothing and the headbands she wore to cover the bald patch she discovered one night in the mirror. This was shortly after Albom and Janine received word that Chika’s procedure went well and the only thing left to do was wait.

Two months pass before Chika’s spirit appears to Albom again. He wonders if it’s just his imagination but doubts it because he cannot make Chika appear when he wants; she seems to only appear when she chooses. It is Thanksgiving when she comes this time, and she wonders why Albom is leaving his office. He explains that he has to go see family, and Chika suggests he hide so that they can find him. Albom laughs and remembers how incredulous Chika became when others didn’t see things her way. For example, Chika broke into a yell when Albom asked her for the words to a Mary Poppins song, shocked that Albom didn’t know them already. When Albom asks Chika if his family can see her, she says no, announces she is off to Haiti, and is gone.

Albom remembers his Christmas with Chika. In the six months since leaving Haiti, Chika had changed. She admitted she was a little bit scared to go back but cried happy tears. When the plane landed and she disembarked, an overwhelming joy overcame her. She danced and twirled as she left the airport. When Chika reached the orphanage, the children chanted her name and greeted her with hugs, kisses, and cheers. Chika rushed to the swings and pushed herself into the air, gleefully “flying over the happy expressions of her brothers and sisters” (121). Watching, Albom cried happy tears. This is one of his most precious memories of Chika, he writes.

As Chika grew up, her hair grew back, she lost teeth, and the Alboms measured her height on the wall. She learned more English and more about the world. All the while, however, the tumor lay dormant, no longer responding to any treatments but not growing, either. Chika had regular MRIs and blood tests, and Albom and Janine prayed for a cure. Eight months after Chika was given an estimated four months to live, the Alboms celebrated her sixth birthday. A couple months later, when Chika vomited during a swimming lesson, Janine called Albom, panicked.

When Chad Carr, another child with DLPG, died, the Alboms felt a sudden pang of dread and hopelessness. Chad’s parents started a foundation called “Chad Tough” in his honor. Albom marvels at the resilience and optimism of children, especially those who are sick or have a terminal illness. He remembers watching children playing at the hospital, laughing as they would anywhere else. He recalls Chika laughing at herself falling as her balance worsened.

When Albom and Janine received news that Chika’s tumor was growing again, they reluctantly started her on chemotherapy, feeling out of other options. One day, Chika could not find her balance and crawled her way underneath the kitchen table to play. She seemed to accept her new circumstances without complaint, and Albom realized that the strength of children like Chika comforts those around them.

Chika’s ghost announces that Christmas is on its way and asks Albom how many Christmases she had. Albom answers that she had seven, and Chika knows that is not very many.

Albom remembers that most of Chika’s friends in the United States were adults who were middle-aged or older. While Chika seemed happy spending time with them, it was no replacement for the joy and community of children that Chika had at the orphanage in Haiti. Chika had one child friend: one of Albom’s nephews, Aidan, who was eight years old. When Chika developed a crush on Aidan, Albom would tease her about marrying the boy. One night, she bluntly replied, “Aidan will not marry a girl who cannot walk” (139). Though the Alboms found Chika’s willingness to accept her disease and its effects inspirational, Albom found the thought of accepting Chika’s disease himself terrifying.

One of Chika’s biggest fears was needles, and she encountered them often during her treatment. In June 2016, Albom took Chika for a routine blood draw, and the nurses were no longer able to find a vein. Chika screamed in pain during the process and told Albom she wanted to return to Haiti.

Chika loved to eat and would try almost any new food. Albom remembers how he and Janine had to restrict Chika’s junk food intake, and she snuck it on several occasions. The Alboms felt terrible for having to do things that reminded Chika she was sick, but they felt they needed to give her the best chance of a long life. As Chika became more defiant, irritable, and impatient, Albom and Janine treated her as they would any other child. After Chika got an IV port inserted in her chest, she started to complain more with each doctor’s visit. Albom decided to take her back to Haiti for a visit, and the night they arrived, Chika threw up on him.

The next time Chika’s ghost visits, she is wearing the Belle dress from Beauty and the Beast, which Albom bought her after the conclusion of a series of treatments. He recalls that it was one of the few times he saw Chika proud of herself. Albom is confused when Chika’s spirit asks if he can see her, and before he can figure it out, she disappears again.

When Albom found out that Chika’s father was still alive and living not far from the orphanage, he arranged for Mr. Alain to drive them there and help translate a conversation. Albom asked Chika’s father about her birth and early life, but he provided little information. Albom could not find any concern or fatherly love for Chika and noticed that her father seemed to have grown indifferent to her. Still, Albom hoped to reignite their connection and brought Chika’s father back to the orphanage. Chika’s father sat with her silently while she played for a while and then left.

Albom reflects on the concept of parenthood and laying claim over a child. He considers his role as a legal guardian of many children, including Chika. Though it hurts Albom, he knows that most people do not consider his role true parenting. He remembers one boy whose abusive and violent father took him out of the orphanage after three years there. Powerless, Albom and the rest of the staff had to give the boy back to his parent. Albom learned from his time with Chika that parenthood comes down to love. On the return flight to Michigan, Albom looked at Chika and knew that he would always be hers regardless of their differences in DNA.