In 1996 the first scientific paper was published that showed that women not only pass on their genes to their babies but that their babies leave cells behind that become part of the mother. It’s called microchimerism. Helena may have left some part of her genetic self inside me in a literal, provable sense. She is emotionally part of me, but she may be physically part of me too, as Jon and I and all our predecessors are part of her.
