Finding Chika is my third book by Mitch Albom. But before I talk about the book, here is why I love this writer so much- he is a modern philosopher who talks about time, death and destiny- all taken from the incidents of his life. All of Mitch Albom’s books are memoirs that end with lessons you need to hold close to you to navigate the complexities of life.
I read Tuesdays with Morrie and Five People You Meet In Heaven, but trust me when I say, none of them prepared me for the emotional depth and raw vulnerability of Finding Chika. This is a story of a little girl, an earthquake that transformed her life and the making of a family. I will not convince you to read the book. I will just ask you to read the next few lines I write and decide for yourself. Let’s talk about Chika!
Finding Chika!
Chika was brought to “Have Faith Haiti Mission”- an orphanage run by Mitch Albom and his wife, Janine, in Port-au-Prince. Chika is a bright and energetic kid and is loved by everyone at the orphanage.
At the age of 5, Chika was diagnosed with aggressive DIPG (Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma)- an inoperable brain tumour. It is when Mitch Albom and his wife decide to take Chika to the US for her treatment. What they hadn’t planned for was that during the course of her treatment and while taking care of her, she would become their daughter.
Albom wrote this book after Chika departed to heaven, and he writes it with the urgency and desperation of a parent who fought for his child’s life for over 2 years. This book starts with a hope across borders- from an orphanage to Albom’s home in Detroit to hospitals in Baltimore, Germany and beyond. The book will not fail you on a single page when it comes to intimacy. This isn’t a story of a writer observing; it is about a father documenting his grief and one of the most devastating periods of his life.
The heart of Finding Chika isn’t the tragedy of her illness; it’s how it transformed Mich Albom and his life. Chika was just seven years old when she passed away, but in the time she spent with the Alboms, she accomplished a lifetime’s worth of love.
And in return, she taught them what it meant to have a permanent, unconditional family bond. She brought light and chaos into their previously structured life, filling their empty nest with kid supplies, music, and joy. It is this pure celebration of life in the face of its cruellest deadline that makes this memoir so powerful, and yes, so utterly heartbreaking.
Disclaimer: You will cry reading this. I certainly did, often. But the tears are not just for the loss; they are for the beauty and dedication of the family they built against all odds.
Finding Chika did question my definition of family. A family isn’t defined by blood or legal documents. It is what you choose and dedicate yourself to fully, willing to show up on the toughest days, to love without reservations, no matter how brief the time you are given.
It’s a mandatory read for anyone who believes in the boundless human capacity for connection.