Finding Chika
A Little Girl, an Earthquake, and the Making of a Family
Book Edition Details
Summary
In the tender mosaic of Mitch Albom’s "Finding Chika," love finds its most profound expression in the face of adversity. This deeply personal memoir, resonant with heartache and hope, follows the unforgettable journey of Chika Jeune, a spirited Haitian orphan whose presence transforms the lives of her adoptive guardians, Mitch and Janine. Born amidst the chaos of a devastating earthquake, Chika's story intertwines with the Alboms’ as they navigate the unpredictable tides of illness and family. Her indomitable spirit, captured through poignant reflections and lively dialogues, challenges the boundaries of conventional family bonds and invites readers to redefine what it truly means to belong. An exquisite tribute to the resilience of the human spirit, this narrative illuminates the enduring power of love and the unique connections that bind us across continents and circumstances.
Introduction
In January 2010, a devastating earthquake shook Haiti to its core, leaving countless children orphaned and families shattered. Among the survivors was a three-day-old baby girl named Chika, whose life would intertwine with an unexpected family thousands of miles away in America. This is the story of Mitch Albom, the bestselling author who traveled to Haiti after the earthquake to help establish an orphanage, never imagining he would become a father to a remarkable little girl battling an insurmountable illness. What began as a humanitarian mission transformed into the most profound journey of love, hope, and heartbreak imaginable. Through Chika's courageous fight against DIPG, a rare and aggressive brain tumor, readers witness the extraordinary capacity of the human spirit to find joy in the darkest circumstances. This narrative reveals how children can teach adults about resilience, how families are created through love rather than blood, and how the briefest lives can leave the most lasting impact. From the rubble of Haiti to hospital rooms in America and Germany, this is a testament to the transformative power of unconditional love and the profound lessons that emerge when we open our hearts to caring for others, regardless of the cost.
A Child's Arrival: From Haiti to Hope
Chika's entrance into the world coincided with one of Haiti's darkest moments. Born just three days before the catastrophic 2010 earthquake that claimed over 200,000 lives, she survived the collapse of her family's cinder block home and spent her first nights sleeping in sugarcane fields under the stars. Her mother, Resilia, had died giving birth to Chika's younger brother when Chika was only two years old, leaving her in the care of her godmother, Herzulia. When Chika was three, circumstances led Herzulia to bring her to the Have Faith Haiti Mission, an orphanage that Mitch Albom had established in the aftermath of the earthquake. What struck Albom immediately was not the typical shyness of new arrivals, but Chika's bold confidence. When he stuck out his tongue playfully, she stuck out hers in return, meeting his gaze with fearless directness. This small act of bravery would prove prophetic of the strength she would need for the battles ahead. For the first years at the mission, Chika thrived as a spirited, bossy little girl who directed the other children like a drill sergeant despite being among the youngest. She possessed an infectious joy and an unshakeable sense of self that made her a natural leader. Her laughter filled the compound, and she approached each day with the wonder and determination that would later inspire everyone who met her. However, at age five, subtle changes began to appear. A slight droop in her left eye, an unsteady gait, small signs that something was amiss. When a Haitian neurologist delivered the devastating news that Chika had a mass on her brain and that no one in Haiti could help her, it marked the beginning of an extraordinary journey that would take her from the familiar warmth of the Caribbean to the advanced medical facilities of America, forever changing the lives of everyone involved.
The Battle Against DIPG: Love in Medical Crisis
The diagnosis that awaited Chika in America was far worse than anyone had imagined: diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, or DIPG, a grade four brain tumor with a survival rate of essentially zero. Dr. Hugh Garton, the neurosurgeon, could only remove ten percent of the mass due to its location in the brain stem, and the prognosis was devastating four to five months to live. Yet when presented with the option of taking Chika back to Haiti to enjoy her remaining time, Mitch and Janine Albom chose to fight. The medical journey that followed was both heartbreaking and inspiring. Chika endured radiation treatments that required her head to be locked in a helmet while subatomic particles bombarded her tumor. The steroids necessary to reduce brain swelling transformed her slight frame, causing dramatic weight gain and giving her what doctors called "moon face." Through it all, Chika maintained her joyful spirit, making games of swallowing pills and singing loudly during wheelchair rides through hospital corridors. As conventional treatments in America showed limited success, the family embarked on experimental therapies that took them from Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York to immunology clinics in Cologne, Germany. Each treatment brought new hope and new challenges. The convection enhanced delivery procedure involved drilling directly into Chika's brain to deliver radioactive agents, while the German immunotherapy attempted to train her own immune system to attack the cancer cells. Throughout twenty-three months of treatments, far exceeding initial predictions, Chika demonstrated remarkable resilience. She never complained about the needles she feared, the feeding tubes she required, or the gradual loss of her ability to walk and speak. Instead, she continued to find wonder in butterflies outside cemetery gates, joy in fairy doors hidden in hospital walls, and love in the expanding circle of adults who became her devoted friends and advocates in this fight against an unbeatable foe.
Teaching Through Courage: Seven Life Lessons
In her brief but profound time on Earth, Chika became an unwitting teacher, imparting seven essential life lessons through her courage and spirit. The first lesson was about protection learning that true guardianship means accepting vulnerability and recognizing that love compels us to shield others from harm, even when we cannot control every outcome. Her presence transformed the Alboms from protectors of possessions to protectors of a precious life. The second lesson concerned time and how it changes when a child enters your world. Chika's unhurried approach to breakfast, her meticulous clothing selections, and her ability to find wonder in ordinary moments taught the importance of slowing down and matching a child's rhythm. Her presence restructured their entire existence around doctor appointments, bedtime stories, and the simple pleasure of watching her discover the world through wide, curious eyes. Wonder formed the third lesson, as Chika consistently noticed what adults overlooked. At Disneyland, surrounded by elaborate attractions, she was captivated by a simple duck. She collected pennies as treasure, marveled at fireflies, and created imaginary games that transported her between Haiti and America in a swimming pool. Her sense of wonder was an antidote to adult preoccupation, drawing grown-ups down to ground level for clearer reception to the voices of the earth. The fourth lesson was about being "kid tough" that unique resilience children possess when facing overwhelming challenges. Chika endured procedures that would devastate adults with grace and determination. When she woke up during a dangerous medical procedure and announced she wanted to go to the toy store, or when she fell and declared "I fell on my BUTT!" with laughter rather than tears, she demonstrated a toughness that comforted the anxious adults around her while never losing her essential joy and curiosity about life.
Legacy of Light: What We Carry Forward
The final lessons Chika taught centered on the true meaning of family and the weight of love we choose to carry. Her innocent question about why other children sometimes rejected her play overtures when her walking became unsteady revealed a heartbreaking self-awareness, yet she never let this diminish her capacity for joy. She taught the Alboms that families are not defined by DNA but by daily acts of care, protection, and unconditional love. Perhaps most profoundly, Chika redefined what it means to carry responsibility for another human being. When she told Mitch, "Your job is carrying me," during his attempt to leave for work, she articulated a truth about parenthood and devotion that transcends biological relationships. The physical act of carrying her up nineteen steps in Germany, through airport terminals, and from room to room became a metaphor for the emotional and spiritual weight of loving someone completely. Her impact extended far beyond her immediate family, touching nurses who sang gospel songs at her bedside, inspiring college scholarships for her Haitian brothers, and motivating medical research that might help future children facing similar battles. Emmanuel, one of her orphanage siblings, decided to become a doctor because of what happened to Chika, carrying forward her legacy in the most tangible way possible. In her final moments, surrounded by photos of her joyful life and held by the two people who loved her most, Chika demonstrated that even the shortest lives can be completely full. She lived with intensity, loved without reservation, and faced each challenge with the fierce determination that had characterized her from that first bold stare in the orphanage office. Her death at age seven was not a defeat but a completion of a life lived with remarkable courage and grace.
Summary
Chika Jeune's seven-year journey from earthquake survivor to beloved daughter reveals that the most profound relationships are not those we are born into, but those we choose to embrace with our whole hearts. Her battle against an incurable disease became a testament to the transformative power of love, demonstrating that families are created through daily acts of devotion, sacrifice, and unwavering commitment to another's wellbeing. Through her courage in facing medical procedures, her wonder at simple pleasures, and her ability to find joy even as her body failed, Chika taught that resilience is not about avoiding hardship but about meeting it with grace and maintaining one's essential spirit regardless of circumstances. For anyone grappling with loss, unexpected parenthood, or the challenge of loving someone facing insurmountable odds, Chika's story offers guidance: that we are defined not by what we lose but by what we choose to carry forward, and that the weight of loving completely is the most meaningful burden we can bear. Her legacy reminds us that some lights burn so brightly in their brief time that they continue to illuminate long after they are gone, proving that a life's value is measured not in years but in the depth of love given and received.
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By Mitch Albom
