A Mother's Heart Beat: Chickee

What if by hearing a mother's heartbeat we could accelerate our healing time to the exponential cell growth rate that occurs in the womb? A Mother's Heart Beat is the story of Chickee, a woman who develops a device that allows children's bodies to "listen" to a mother's heartbeat. With this, and by recruiting other women to become "linkers," she develops an organization, Mother's Heartbeat, through which she and other linkers help many sick children. As the story unfolds, Chickee and her fellow linkers discover that linking with children keeps them young. Due to her longevity for linking with so many young children, the story spans the long life of Chickee as she watches many of her family and friends die of old age or sickness, yet she continues on, aiming to keep her purpose strong in helping sick children.

When some linking devices are stolen by drug users who can piggyback a high "two for the price of one," the discovery is made that linking with adults shortens one's life. Chickee's decision to stop her linking efforts completely is brought on by a disturbing and disheartening event that culminates in a drastic life change for Chickee. In the nursing home, she discovers that she can once again help others, by using the device to "transition" them from life into death. By doing so, she ages herself very quickly and feels empowered by choosing her own demise. Through it all she struggles to create meaning and make a difference in the lives of those around her.