JFK Granddaughter's Heartbreaking Cancer Revelation
Tatiana Schlossberg, the granddaughter of former US President John F. Kennedy, has shared the devastating news that she has less than a year to live after being diagnosed with terminal blood cancer. The environmental journalist revealed her diagnosis in a deeply personal essay published in the New Yorker magazine, timed to coincide with the 62nd anniversary of her grandfather's assassination.
Just hours after giving birth to her daughter last year, doctors diagnosed her with myeloid leukaemia, a type of blood cancer that originates in the bone marrow. She explained that her doctor noticed her "strange" white blood cell count while she was in hospital following childbirth.
Family Conflict Over Health Policies
In her powerful essay, Schlossberg didn't shy away from criticising her uncle, Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who currently serves as US Secretary of Health and Human Services. She expressed particular concern about his well-documented scepticism towards vaccines, writing: "Bobby is a known sceptic of vaccines, and I was especially concerned that I wouldn't be able to get mine again, leaving me to spend the rest of my life immunocompromised."
She directly challenged his statement that "There's no vaccine that is safe and effective," countering that "Bobby probably doesn't remember the millions of people who were paralysed or killed by polio before the vaccine was available."
Schlossberg also detailed how she witnessed her uncle "cut nearly a half billion dollars for research into mRNA vaccines" and slash "billions in funding from the National Institutes of Health, the world's largest sponsor of medical research."
A Mother's Heartbreaking Reality
The 35-year-old mother of two shared the emotional impact of her diagnosis, particularly how it has affected her relationship with her young children. "My first thought was that my kids, whose faces live permanently on the inside of my eyelids, wouldn't remember me," she wrote.
She expressed particular sorrow about missing crucial moments with her infant daughter: "I didn't ever really get to take care of my daughter—I couldn't change her diaper or give her a bath or feed her, all because of the risk of infection after my transplants. I was gone for almost half of her first year of life."
Her doctor has told her that the latest clinical trial might keep her "alive for a year, maybe," giving her limited time with her family.
Schlossberg also highlighted another concerning aspect of her uncle's health policies, revealing that a drug used to treat her postpartum haemorrhage—misoprostol, which is also part of medication abortion—is now "under review" by the Food and Drug Administration at RFK Jr's urging. "I freeze when I think about what would have happened if it had not been immediately available to me," she wrote.
The Yale graduate, who also holds a master's degree in US history from the University of Oxford, has built her career as an environmental journalist and author of 'Inconspicuous Consumption: The Environmental Impact You Don't Know You Have'. She is the daughter of former US ambassador Caroline Kennedy and Edwin Schlossberg, with two siblings—brother Jack, who recently announced his bid for Congress, and sister Rose.
