Tatiana Schlossberg, journalist and granddaughter of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy, has shared a deeply emotional account of her battle with terminal cancer—a revelation that has stunned many who have followed her work and public life. In a raw and intimate essay published in The New Yorker, the 35-year-old daughter of Caroline Kennedy disclosed that she is living with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a diagnosis she received shortly after welcoming her second child.

Schlossberg explained that the illness first came to light when routine post-delivery tests revealed irregularities in her white blood cell count. What initially appeared to be a minor concern quickly escalated into a life-altering discovery: she had AML with a rare genetic mutation known as “Inversion 3.” The news, she wrote, was almost impossible to comprehend.

She reflected on the shock of hearing the diagnosis. Just a day earlier, she said, she had swum a mile despite being nine months pregnant. She felt strong, healthy, and full of life—hardly someone who would expect to face a terminal condition. “I wasn’t sick. I didn’t feel sick,” she wrote, capturing the disbelief she felt as doctors discussed aggressive treatment plans and long hospital stays.

Following her delivery, Schlossberg spent five weeks at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital in New York, where initial treatments began. She was later transferred to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for a bone-marrow transplant, a procedure doctors insisted was necessary due to the severity and complexity of her condition. Even then, she was told that a standard treatment regimen would not be enough for long-term survival.

After the transplant, she continued chemotherapy from home and enrolled in a CAR-T cell therapy clinical trial earlier this year—a cutting-edge form of immunotherapy designed to target blood cancers. Despite these efforts, her medical team informed her that she likely has only a year to live.

Throughout her essay, Schlossberg highlighted the unwavering support of her husband, George Moran, whom she married eight years ago. She described how he slept on hospital floors, handled medical conversations she couldn’t bear, and became her anchor as their world shifted. The couple shares two young children—a three-year-old son and a one-year-old daughter—whose presence deepened both the grief and gratitude she carries.

She also paid tribute to her parents, siblings, and extended family members, noting how they rallied around her during endless hospital stays and the emotional turmoil of the last year and a half. Her brother, Jack Schlossberg, recently announced a congressional run—an ambition unfolding as the family navigates her illness together.

As she moved toward the essay’s conclusion, Schlossberg reflected tenderly on fleeting moments with her children—the small, everyday memories she hopes to preserve for as long as her health allows. Unsure of what lies beyond life, she wrote that she continues to “pretend” she can hold onto every memory, cherishing the time she still has.

Her essay has sparked a wave of sympathy and admiration, drawing attention not only to her personal resilience but also to the broader challenges facing families coping with life-threatening illnesses.

FAQ

1. Who is Tatiana Schlossberg?
Tatiana Schlossberg is a journalist, author, and the daughter of Caroline Kennedy. She is also the granddaughter of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy.

2. What illness is she battling?
She has been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with a rare mutation called Inversion 3.

3. When was she diagnosed?
She was diagnosed shortly after giving birth to her second child last year.

4. What treatment has she undergone?
Her treatments have included chemotherapy, a bone-marrow transplant, and participation in a CAR-T cell therapy clinical trial.

5. What is her prognosis?
Doctors have reportedly told her she may have about a year to live.