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On Saturday, the granddaughter of John F. Kennedy revealed in a poignant essay for “The New Yorker” that she has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. In her moving account, she shared a doctor’s prognosis that she might have approximately one more year to live.
Tatiana Schlossberg, the offspring of Caroline Kennedy and Edwin Schlossberg, received this life-altering diagnosis in May 2024 at the age of 34. Following the arrival of her second child, a routine check showed an elevated white blood cell count, which led to the discovery of acute myeloid leukemia featuring an uncommon mutation typically found in older adults.
Her essay was published to coincide with the 62nd anniversary of her grandfather’s tragic assassination.
An environmental journalist by profession, Schlossberg chronicled her battle with the disease, which has included multiple chemotherapy sessions and two stem cell transplants. The first transplant came from her sister, while the second used cells from an unrelated donor. She has also participated in clinical trials, during which a doctor candidly told her that he could “keep me alive for a year, maybe.”
Schlossberg also expressed concerns about policies advocated by her cousin, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., currently serving as the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary. She fears these policies might adversely affect cancer patients like herself. Caroline Kennedy has publicly urged senators to oppose RFK Jr.’s confirmation.
“As I spent more and more of my life under the care of doctors, nurses, and researchers striving to improve the lives of others, I watched as Bobby cut nearly a half billion dollars for research into mRNA vaccines, technology that could be used against certain cancers,” she wrote in the essay.
Schlossberg wrote about her fears that her daughter and son won’t remember her. She feels cheated and sad that she won’t get to keep living “the wonderful life” she had with her husband, George Moran. While her parents and siblings try to hide their pain from her, she said she feels it every day.
“For my whole life, I have tried to be good, to be a good student and a good sister and a good daughter, and to protect my mother and never make her upset or angry,” she wrote. “Now I have added a new tragedy to her life, to our family’s life, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it.”
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