Review of First Survivor

[Rat de bibliotheque1]

[Following is a volunteer review of "First Survivor" by Mark Unger.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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First Survivoris the story of Louis Unger, a little boy diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, in 2001. The story is written by his father, Mark Unger. The author takes us through the harrowing journey of cancer treatment for a condition that had very low survival rates at the time of his son’s diagnosis. Mark Unger and his wife embark on the biggest fight of their lives, as they desperately seek the best treatment on offer for their son. It is a story of despair, sadness, love and hope. Louis will fight with all his energy and positivity the terrible disease which is ravaging his little body. At only three years of age, he is showing incredible courage and resilience. Fortunately, he has the support and love of his parents, as well as his big brother, Harry.

This is a true story. Louis is the most important person in this book, as he is the reason for the book! His personality is truly inspiring, what a true warrior! Maybe because he is only three years old, it is impossible for Louis to comprehend the gravity of the situation. At no time does he seem frightened. He remains stoic, cheerful, and playful. He has his toy dinosaurs helping him to fight the disease! Louis’ parents are also awesome people. Mark is clever, dedicated, and he will to go to great lengths to save his son’s life. He is researching constantly, questioning, keeping notes, and offering solutions to the medical staff. Mary Ellen, the mother, is strong and loving. She knows she cannot show her distress and needs to be there for Louis and also Harry, her older son. The other important people are all the incredible doctors who took care of Louis. They were all as dedicated as each other, working relentlessly to cure little Louis. It would be too long to name them all, but if I had to name just two, it would be Dr. Kushner and Dr. Nai-Kong.V.Cheung, both involved in coming up with a life- saving treatment for the condition affecting Louis.

The book is written in a direct style. The reader gets engrossed in the story which describes the little boy’s ordeal. Treatments and new experimental drugs are explained. The reader feels complete empathy for this family fighting so hard to beat cancer. There is a great sense of positivity throughout the book. Somehow, the reader knows that the outcome will be positive. The author describes the condition and the treatments very clearly. It is very informative. I had actually never heard of neuroblastoma, and it was horrifying to learn that such few children survived it. Furthermore, the reader feels the anxiety and the despair of the family when Louis is feeling so poorly. It brought tears to my eyes to see so much resilience from such a young boy. All the people in the book are truly inspiring.

I loved this book because it brings hope to all sufferers of cancer. I enjoyed the author’s style and the fact he included pictures of Louis with his family and his doctors. I enjoyed learning about this rare form of cancer and seeing how doctors and researchers were working so hard to find new treatments. It was very easy to feel so much empathy for this family, who despite going through hell, could still find time to enjoy precious moments with their two sons. I think most readers who enjoy true stories of survival, will enjoy this book. I think this book would probably also appeal to anybody working in the medical field. Lastly, any family going through the trauma of having a child diagnosed with cancer, will find comfort and solace in this book.

There is nothing I disliked about this book. I rate it five out of five stars.

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First Survivor
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[Enjani Matendeko]

I don't know the best word to use to describe Louis. But he's a child worth writing a story about. He survived very serious cancer attacks that could have easily cost him his life. However, he survived. That was really amazing.

[David Samanthaa]

First Survivor by Mark Unger is an incredibly moving account of young Louis Unger's battle with cancer. The story of his fight against neuroblastoma is both heartbreaking and inspiring.