Tatiana Schlossberg – daughter of Caroline Kennedy and Edwin Schlossberg and granddaughter of President John F. Kennedy – has revealed she is battling terminal cancer at just 35 years old.
In an essay published in The New Yorker, Schlossberg shared that she has been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a fast-moving cancer of the blood and bone marrow.
Her illness includes a rare genetic mutation called Inversion 3, which the American Cancer Society (ACS) lists as an unfavorable subtype linked to more aggressive disease and reduced survival rates.
Diagnosis Came the Same Day She Gave Birth
Schlossberg said the devastating diagnosis came on May 25, 2024, the very day she delivered her second child.
Shortly after giving birth, her doctor noticed her white-blood-cell count was extremely high and immediately moved her for further testing.
Though she believed the results might be tied to pregnancy-related complications, the confirmed cancer left her in disbelief.
“I thought of myself as one of the healthiest people I knew,” she wrote.
“This could not possibly be my life.”
Symptoms of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Explained
According to the ACS, AML typically begins in the bone marrow before rapidly spreading into the bloodstream. Key symptoms include:
- Unexplained weight loss
- Fatigue and weakness
- Fever and night sweats
- Loss of appetite
Because AML progresses quickly, symptoms often escalate in a short time.
Many patients mistake the early warning signs for stress, exhaustion, or common illness, delaying diagnosis.
Intensive Treatment Including Bone-Marrow Transplant
Following her daughter’s birth, Schlossberg spent five weeks at Columbia Presbyterian as doctors worked to lower her blast-cell count enough for her to begin chemotherapy outside the hospital.
She later transferred to Memorial Sloan Kettering, where she underwent a bone-marrow transplant and spent more than 50 days hospitalized before she was allowed to continue treatment at home.
Enrolled in CAR T-Cell Therapy Clinical Trial
In January, Schlossberg joined a CAR T-cell therapy clinical trial, an experimental treatment designed to train the immune system to target cancer cells.
She wrote that much of this process unfolded as her cousin, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., was nominated and confirmed as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services – a position she argued he was not qualified to hold.
Throughout her essay, Schlossberg thanked her husband, parents, and extended family for their unwavering support, recalling the many hours they spent at her bedside during her most difficult moments.
Their presence, she said, has been essential as she continues to confront her terminal illness with honesty and courage.