Tatiana Schlossberg, the granddaughter of former US President John F. Kennedy, has revealed she is battling an aggressive form of cancer and has been given less than a year to live. The 35-year-old climate journalist shared the heartbreaking news in an essay published in The New Yorker on Saturday, a date that coincided with the 62nd anniversary of her grandfather’s assassination.
Schlossberg, daughter of former US Ambassador Caroline Kennedy, disclosed she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia shortly after giving birth to her second child in May 2024. In her essay titled A Battle With My Blood, she describes the shock of receiving such devastating news despite leading an active, healthy lifestyle that included running, skiing, and even swimming in the Hudson River to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Although she has undergone chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant, doctors have warned that the prognosis remains grim. “My doctor told me that he could keep me alive for a year, maybe,” she writes, reflecting on her deepest fear—that her young children, born in 2022 and 2024, may grow up without memories of her.
Schlossberg also writes movingly about the pain her diagnosis has caused her mother, Caroline Kennedy, noting that she has always tried to protect her from hurt. Her family has already endured deep tragedy—her uncle John F. Kennedy Jr. died in a plane crash at 38, while her grandmother Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis died of cancer when Tatiana was a toddler.
The essay also touches on her frustration at watching her second cousin, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., become President Donald Trump’s health secretary, despite lacking experience in medicine, public health, or government. From her hospital bed, she describes how his confirmation shook her confidence in the healthcare system she relies on.
Earlier this month, her brother Jack Schlossberg announced he plans to run for Congress in New York, adding another layer of public attention on the Kennedy family during an emotionally challenging period.
