JFK's Granddaughter Reveals Terminal Cancer Diagnosis With Less Than a Year to Live

Caroline Kennedy's daughter Tatiana Schlossberg, 35, revealed her terminal cancer diagnosis in a The New Yorker essay published on 22 November 2025,

Schlossberg, granddaughter of President John F Kennedy, made a heartbreaking announcement through an essay. She explained she is battling acute myeloid leukaemi, which is a rare and aggressive type of blood cancer. JFK's grandchild further explained that her doctors only gave her less than a year to live. The heartfelt essay was also published on the 61st anniversary of her grandfather's assassination.

Tatiana Schlossberg Has Been Fighting Cancer in Private Since Last Year

The announcement came as a shock to her family, friends, and the public, but Schlossberg disclosed she has been quietly battling the disease since last year. Despite her life in the public eye, managing both career and family responsibilities, her continued visibility meant few suspected the crisis unfolding behind closed doors.

The American journalist and author wrote that her cancer diagnosis came shortly after the birth of her daughter in May 2024. In her routine blood work, doctors discovered she had abnormally high white blood cell counts, prompting further testing that ultimately led to the detection of leukaemia.

In her post titled 'A Battle with My Blood,' Schlossberg wrote: 'When you are dying, at least in my limited experience, you start remembering everything. Images come in flashes - people and places and stray conversations - and refuse to stop.'

She continued: 'I see my best friend from elementary school as we make a mud pie in her back yard, top it with candles and a tiny American flag, and watch, in panic, as the flag catches fire. I see my college boyfriend, wearing boat shoes a few days after a record-breaking snowstorm, slipping and falling into a slush puddle. I want to break up with him, so I laugh until I can't breathe.'

Fighting for Life: Tatiana Schlossberg's Treatment Journey

The young mother described the emotional toll of facing a terminal illness while raising a newborn and a young son. In her essay, she reflects on the profound difficulty of confronting mortality while her children are still so young.

Schlossberg said she tried many treatments—both conventional and experimental—including intensive chemotherapy, a bone marrow transplant, and even participation in CAR-T therapy trials. She said that while these treatments allowed her to manage her condition, the effects were temporary and her doctors have warned that her rare illness is likely incurable.

Beyond sharing her private health struggle, Schlossberg used the moment to call for stronger public health initiatives and increased support for medical research. She voiced concern over policies she believes slow scientific advancement and limit access to experimental treatments—specifically criticising decisions made by her cousin, Robert F Kennedy Jr, in his capacity as US Health Secretary, to cut funding for certain research programs.

'Throughout my treatment, he (Robert F. Kennedy) had been on the national stage: previously a Democrat, he was running for President as an Independent, but mostly as an embarrassment to me and the rest of my immediate family,' she wrote. 'Suddenly, the health-care system on which I relied felt strained, shaky as doctors and scientists at Columbia didn't know if they would be able to continue their research, or even have jobs.'