Tatiana Schlossberg opens up about terminal leukemia diagnosis, has less than a year to live

Tatiana Schlossberg, granddaughter of President John F. Kennedy, disclosed a terminal leukemia diagnosis on November 22, 2025. The 35-year-old journalist revealed the heartbreaking news in an essay published by The New Yorker. She stated her doctor said he could keep her alive “for a year, maybe.” Her candid piece titled “A Battle with My Blood” details her journey with acute myeloid leukemia with Inversion 3 mutation.

How She Discovered the Diagnosis

Schlossberg noticed something was wrong immediately after delivery. Her white blood cell counts spiked dramatically during her hospital stay. A normal count ranges from 4,000 to 11,000 cells per microliter. Hers shot to 131,000.

“It could just be something related to pregnancy and delivery,” doctors initially told her. Hours later, they diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia. The diagnosis shocked her. She had been incredibly healthy before giving birth. She swam a mile the day before pregnancy. She ran 5-10 miles regularly in Central Park. She even competed in the Birkebeiner ski race, finishing in 7.5 hours.

The diagnosis was particularly unusual because acute myeloid leukemia typically affects older patients, not 35-year-old women. She had just turned 34 when diagnosed. The cancer had a rare mutation called Inversion 3, which doctors said “liked to come back.”

Her Medical Journey and Multiple Treatments

Schlossberg spent five weeks in Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital for initial treatment. She underwent aggressive chemotherapy to reduce blast cells in her bone marrow. She lost her hair and endured severe side effects. Yet she found humor in the darkness, joking she looked like “a busted-up Voldemort.” Her sister donated stem cells for the first bone marrow transplant, putting her in remission.

But the cancer returned. She relapsed and joined clinical trials for CAR-T cell therapy. This cutting-edge immunotherapy involved engineering her sister’s T-cells to attack cancer cells. She developed cytokine-release syndrome, a serious inflammatory storm that left her gasping for breath. She needed high-flow oxygen and nearly went to intensive care.

A second bone marrow transplant from an unrelated donor donor in April followed. She relapsed again. Another clinical trial, another hospitalization. She lost about twenty pounds total during treatment. She had to learn to walk again. She couldn’t pick up her young children.

“During the latest clinical trial, my doctor told me that he could keep me alive for a year, maybe.”

The Kennedy Family Connection and RFK Jr.

Her family has rallied around her. Her parents Caroline Kennedy and Edwin Schlossberg have been raising her two children. Her sister donated her stem cells. Her brother Jack Schlossberg, who is running for Congress in 2026, has been vocal against health misinformation.

In her essay, Schlossberg criticized her cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who was confirmed as Secretary of Health and Human Services. She expressed concern about RFK Jr.’s anti-vaccine views and cuts to medical research funding. The National Institutes of Health faced cuts affecting cancer research. Clinical trials were cancelled. She worried about funding for leukemia research at Memorial Sloan Kettering.

“Bobby is a known skeptic of vaccines,” she wrote. She emphasized that vaccine availability saved her life during cancer treatment. She also worried about medication abortion being reviewed by the FDA. She had received misoprostol during a postpartum hemorrhage, a drug used in medication abortion that likely saved her life.

Her Reflections on Life and Legacy

Now she’s focused on time with her children. Her son is two years old. Her daughter was born in May 2024, during her cancer treatment. She missed critical bonding moments during hospitalizations. She couldn’t change diapers or bathe her daughter due to infection risk after transplants.

“I didn’t ever really get to take care of my daughter. I was gone for almost half of her first year of life,” she wrote. Her biggest fear is that her children won’t remember her. She’s desperately trying to create memories now. She treasures moments like her son saying “It’s so nice to meet you in here” when she returned home from hospitalization.

Before getting sick, she planned to write a book about ocean destruction. Instead, she’s focused on being present. She notes that one chemotherapy drug, cytarabine, came from a Caribbean sponge discovered by scientists at UC Berkeley who relied on government funding—the same funding now being cut.

What Comes Next for Her Medical Care

She’s continuing clinical trials hoping for another remission. Her doctors at Memorial Sloan Kettering remain optimistic about new treatments. Yet the reality is grim. Acute myeloid leukemia with her mutation is aggressive and relentless.

“Mostly, I try to live and be with them now,” she wrote about her kids. “But being in the present is harder than it sounds.” She’s also concerned about the future of medical research. She called for protecting the NIH funding that made her treatments possible. Young researchers face job insecurity. The healthcare system she depended on feels “strained, shaky.”

Schlossberg continues fighting. Her resilience, humor, and honesty about her situation have resonated with readers. Her essay offers a raw, personal look at terminal illness. It’s also a plea to protect medical research and healthcare infrastructure that saves lives.

Sources

• The New Yorker – Schlossberg’s full essay “A Battle with My Blood”
• Today.com – JFK’s Granddaughter Tatiana Schlossberg Reveals Terminal Cancer Diagnosis coverage
• People.com – Caroline Kennedy’s daughter reveals terminal cancer diagnosis reporting