Review of First Survivor

[Bradley Twesten]

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

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5 out of 5 stars

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Mark Unger’s inspirational recollection of his son’s battle against cancer is a must-read. First Survivor: The Impossible Childhood Cancer Breakthrough recounts Louis Unger’s triumph over neuroblastoma. Mark took diligent and detailed notes throughout the cancer treatments and revisited these notes and his family’s recollections to create a compelling story of their truth and conquest of Louis’s cancer.

At age 3, Louis began to exhibit some unusual symptoms. Not waiting for things to improve or get worse, the Unger family scheduled a visit with his pediatrician. This quickly escalated into emergency room visits and a Thanksgiving spent in the hospital's hallways. For the next year, they battled with chemotherapy, seemingly staying ahead of the cancer.

As Louis recovered, the Ungers continued to research and learn that the chance of survival is 0% when neuroblastoma crosses the blood-brain barrier. Soon after, they received the devastating diagnosis that, even though Louis’s lower body appeared cancer-free, a tumor had been growing alongside his brain. It was always a race against time, but now they had to see if the hospital and doctors could beat the odds and achieve their first survivor.

First Survivor deserves a rating of 5 out of 5. It has an excellent format and style that moves between Mark’s detailed notes and Louis’s narrative as the cancer treatments progress. I only found a single error in the editing, so it was not significant enough to detract from the great content.

Cancer is a very personal issue, and one aspect of the book that I found lacking was its narrow focus on Louis. During the treatment, Louis had a slightly older brother, Harry, and the book provides little insight into Harry’s feelings or the experiences of any extended family members dealing with the cancer prognosis.

This is a great book. The proceeds from book sales go to charity for cancer research, and I encourage everyone to pick it up and relive the journey of Louis and the Ungers.

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First Survivor
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