Tatiana Schlossberg, the 35-year-old granddaughter of former US President John F. Kennedy, has publicly revealed she is facing a terminal cancer diagnosis.
A Devastating Diagnosis After Childbirth
In a deeply moving essay for The New Yorker titled "A Battle with My Blood," Schlossberg disclosed that her condition was discovered shortly after she gave birth to her daughter in May 2024. Her doctor noticed an anomaly in her blood tests.
"A normal white-blood-cell count is around four to eleven thousand cells per microlitre. Mine was a hundred and thirty-one thousand cells per microlitre," she wrote. She was subsequently diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, which featured a rare mutation known as Inversion 3.
This specific form of cancer meant that a standard treatment course would not be sufficient. Her medical plan involved intensive chemotherapy, a bone marrow transplant, and further regular chemotherapy in an attempt to prevent the cancer from returning.
A Brief Respite and Heartbreaking Relapse
Following initial chemotherapy, Schlossberg received a stem cell transplant from her older sister, Rose, who was a match. The procedure was initially successful, putting her into remission. However, the hope was short-lived, as she suffered a relapse.
Her doctors informed her that her rare cancer "liked to come back." Despite enrolling in several clinical trials, the prognosis remains grim. During the latest trial, her doctor delivered the devastating news that he could likely keep her alive for a year, maybe.
Family, Politics, and a Kennedy Legacy
In her essay, Schlossberg also addressed her family's political sphere, specifically criticising her mother's first cousin, US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., for his decision to cut nearly half a billion dollars in funding for mRNA vaccine research.
She highlighted the cruel irony, noting this technology shows promise in fighting certain cancers like her own.
Throughout her ordeal, Schlossberg's family has been her rock. "My parents and my brother and sister, too, have been raising my children and sitting in my various hospital rooms almost every day for the last year and a half," she shared.
She poignantly added that they have held her hand unflinchingly, hiding their own pain to protect her.
The essay was published on the 62nd anniversary of the assassination of her grandfather, President John F. Kennedy, adding another layer of sorrow to the Kennedy family's long and tragic history, which includes the deaths of Robert F. Kennedy, John F. Kennedy Jr., and other younger family members in recent years.
