Review of First Survivor

[Nichol Lee Jackson]

[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 Survivor is a biographical story about Louis Unger and his battle with neuroblastoma (NB) cancer. The author is his father Mark Unger explaining the diagnosis of his three year old son. It is suitable for both young and older audiences. There is some non-borderline profanity and zero grammatical errors.
This is a good book for anyone who is, or wants to be, conscientious of childhood cancer. The father takes descriptive notes about the many years of treatment involved. His wife, Mary Ellen, barely sleeps and lives at the hospital. Their two sons are best friends. His youngest son starts out as a stout, cheerful, hearty preschooler who has no idea of the danger he is in. His parents are extremely loving, functional people with really good insurance, and, yet still, they are working against the odds of a cure for this fatal disease. They navigate the system of resources from support groups to experimental clinical trials. The Yale Children's Hospital and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center become the main treatment centers for Louis Unger's breakthrough survival and "cure" of neuroblastoma.
I don't want to ruin the ending, but it ends with a wide open feeling of hope. I gave it five stars out of five stars. The title is a reference to being the first survivor of a childhood neuroblastoma relapse, manifesting as a brain tumor. If there were anything I could improve there would be more information about his transition to life outside of a hospital and how he got caught up in school. This book goes through the medical procedures of receiving chemotherapy, radiation, antibody "cocktails", bone marrow transplants, and intrathecal placement of an Ommaya Reservoir. It is a very good companion for a basic introduction to life threatening illnesses in children. It shows the importance of the parents' point of view in a children's hospital.

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First Survivor
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[David Samanthaa]

"First Survivor by Mark Unger is a heartwarming tale of courage and hope. Louis’s victory over neuroblastoma at such a young age is beautifully narrated, making it a must-read