JFK’s Granddaughter Tatiana Schlossberg Shares Heartbreaking Terminal Cancer Diagnosis
Many journalists and environmentalists were shocked when Tatiana Schlossberg, daughter of Caroline Kennedy and granddaughter of President John F. Kennedy, said she had a rare and dangerous condition. This week, the 35-year-old posted a deeply personal article about her life change and her medical battle.
Schlossberg stated she was diagnosed on her second child’s birthday, May 25, 2024. A rapid analysis found acute myeloid leukemia with a rare genetic mutation called Inversion 3 after doctors noticed high white blood cell counts hours after delivery. She was astonished to find she had a life-threatening condition after feeling strong, energetic, and healthy during pregnancy.
Schlossberg stated regular treatments were useless and her medical path quickly escalated into extensive severe therapy. Doctors stabilized her cell levels for home care at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital for almost a month. After treatment, she had a bone marrow transplant at Memorial Sloan Kettering. Even so, she relapsed and needed further treatment.
Schlossberg credit her parents, siblings, and family for her emotional support throughout these trying months. They moved between hospital rooms, sat with her throughout difficult nights, and cared for her tiny children while hiding her from their own pain. She considered their constant presence as a blessing and a burden she intended to spare them, especially her mother, Caroline Kennedy, whom she had always tried to shelter from sadness.
After failing conventional blood cancer therapies, Schlossberg joined a CAR T-cell therapy clinical trial this year. The treatment was her final resort, but doctors warned her of low odds. The procedure could extend her life by a year, according to her doctor. Her first emotion was worry that her children would forget her.
Schlossberg wrote about the national healthcare climate and the emotional toll of life-saving therapy while her relative, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., works for the government. She worried that federal vaccine policies and research program cuts would affect her, cancer survivors, children, and the elderly.
Schlossberg said she is focused on being present for her children—holding their faces in her mind, relishing minor moments, and maintaining tranquility. She described her subtle attempts to make ordinary days permanent despite her infirmity. Despite not knowing what happens after death, she believes she will always remember these occasions because it makes the present less fragile.
Her family is famous, and her honest views on parenthood, disease, and the future have earned sympathy. As she continues therapy, Schlossberg’s comments remind her of the human side of disease, families’ burdens, and the courage needed to face the unimaginable.
Sources
The New Yorker
Additional public medical and biographical records
