Tatiana Schlossberg, the daughter of Caroline Kennedy, has announced a heartbreaking diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia, revealing that doctors estimate she has about a year to live. In an essay published in the New Yorker on March 2, 2024, Schlossberg, 35, detailed the devastating news she received shortly after the birth of her second child in May 2024.
Schlossberg recounted how doctors first suspected something was wrong when her blood count was found to be unusually high following her delivery. A normal white blood cell count ranges from four to eleven thousand cells per microliter; Schlossberg’s count was measured at an alarming 131,000 cells per microliter. She reflected on her initial disbelief, stating, “I had swum a mile in the pool the day before, nine months pregnant. I wasn’t sick. I didn’t feel sick. I was actually one of the healthiest people I knew.”
Diagnosis and Treatment Journey
After further testing, doctors diagnosed Schlossberg with a rare mutation known as Inversion 3. She faced a grim prognosis, as standard treatment options were not viable. Instead, she was advised to undergo extensive chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant.
Schlossberg described her experience in the hospital following the birth of her daughter, stating she spent five weeks at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital before being transferred to Memorial Sloan Kettering for her transplant procedure. To begin her chemotherapy, she opted for home treatments. By January 2025, she had joined a clinical trial for CAR-T-cell therapy, a form of immunotherapy targeted at specific blood cancers.
Unfortunately, after months of treatment, doctors informed her that her condition had deteriorated. Reflecting on the emotional toll, Schlossberg expressed gratitude for her husband, George Moran, who supported her throughout the ordeal. “George did everything for me that he possibly could,” she shared, highlighting his efforts to manage communications with healthcare professionals and his unwavering presence during her hospital stays.
Family Support and Living in the Present
Schlossberg also emphasized the vital role her family has played during this difficult period. “My parents and my brother and sister, too, have been raising my children and sitting in my various hospital rooms almost every day for the last year and a half,” she noted. Their constant support has been a source of strength for her, even as they have silently endured their own pain. “They have held my hand unflinchingly while I have suffered, trying not to show their pain and sadness in order to protect me from it. This has been a great gift, even though I feel their pain every day.”
In closing, Schlossberg shared her desire to focus on the present, despite the challenges it brings. “Mostly, I try to live and be with them now. But being in the present is harder than it sounds, so I let the memories come and go.” Her poignant reflections resonate deeply as she navigates this life-altering diagnosis while cherishing her family and memories.
