Review of First Survivor

[kingsley Onyenwe]

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

---

5 out of 5 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Unger, Mark’s ‘First Survivor: The Impossible Childhood Cancer Breakthrough,’ is a true life story of Louis and how he fought hard to defeat a rare form of pediatric cancer. Mary Ellen began to notice that her three-year-old boy, Louis, was kicking out his leg in an unusual way when walking. This observation frightened her, and she and her husband decided to take the child to see a pediatrician. At the hospital, it was confirmed that their three-year-old son has cancer. Devastated by this news, they sprang into action to look for a cure. Reading this book will take you through the challenges they went through while searching for a solution.

This book taught me about the importance of patient advocacy. The actual truth remains that the doctors and nurses working in hospitals are humans; they make mistakes. You, as the patient’s guardian, should be sensitive enough to speak up if you notice them doing anything that does not go well with your intuition. In this book, for example, Mr. Unger, on noticing that the dressing around the IV port entry of his son had not been changed as required, raised an alarm that brought the attention of the doctor. Also, Mr. Unger, after asking lots of questions, made the brave decision to move his son's treatment from Yale New Haven Hospital to Sloan Kettering.

What I found fascinating was the level of understanding displayed by the Ungers. I frequently read the author say he has a shared responsibility with his wife in terms of how they run the home. I feel couples should have a shared responsibility for their marriage to work. In this book, Louis and his parents show grit, perseverance, belief, and hope that one day they will overcome the devil draining their happiness.

The information in this book is well-detailed and backed with data, and the flow is smooth. Through the book, I learned some medical terms like nadir, neuroblastoma, metastases, biopsy, etc. The book's editing was top-notch, and I salute the author’s bravery in writing this masterpiece to help parents who might be struggling to care for their sick children. I have no drawbacks about this masterpiece, and with the above taken into consideration, I am giving this book a rating of five out of five stars. This book has resources that are useful to oncologists, cancer patients, and their relatives.

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

[Daniel__Smith]

Being a true life story, this book will be filled with emotional moments. A three-year-old boy with cancer is not a fair thing to experience. I will be reading this soon. Nice review you have here!

[Grace Jane]

The book beautifully captures the complexities of medical challenges and the resilience of the human spirit.