Review of First Survivor

[Priscilla Kurah]

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

---

5 out of 5 stars

---

Share This Review

---

First Survivor: The Impossible Childhood Cancer Breakthrough by Mark Unger is the story of three-year-old Louis Unger, who developed a rare form of cancer, neuroblastoma, how his family realized this, and the challenges they had to go through to save their son since no one at that time had seen or heard of this rare condition; Louis was a first. They documented his progress, medications, treatments, and appointments. While they broke down as parents seeing their child suffering, they tried to maintain a positive attitude for Louis and his older brother, Harry, who was so young as well and didn’t completely understand what was happening. I got so emotional reading this documentary as the author notes down details of treatments Louis had to pass through, the pains they feel watching their child suffer, and still staying optimistic all the way.

The ending of August 2001 was a challenging period for Mary Ellen and her family, as she realized that her son Louis was walking strangely, and although he didn’t usually talk much, he now spoke even less. She took him to the hospital to see a pediatric orthopedist and was initially diagnosed with Perthes disease, then later diagnosed with cancer. This young family had to undergo a series of changes and adjustments, including shared duties amongst the couple to enable them to better care for their sick son and still run the home well, as they still have another child who isn’t ill.

I learned powerful lessons from this book, like the power of research, determination, and a positive mindset. The couple remained positive and relentless in their duties as parents and even went further to do research, learned terms relating to their son's condition, asked questions, and looked for better options and treatments that would help their son get better, and not even once did they stop believing that their son would get better even though they had moments of confusion, fear, and even disappointments. They played their part well by making necessary decisions when necessary to ensure Louis was getting the best treatment possible.

I recommend this book to parents going through similar challenges of having a sick or hospitalized child; the positivity and hopes embedded in these pages will help them not give up. I’m rating this book 5 out of 5 stars because I disliked nothing about it, and it was well-written and professionally edited.

******
First Survivor
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon