"My children will not remember me" Kennedy granddaughter Tatiana Schlossberg is terminally ill with cancer
Tatiana Schlossberg, daughter of Caroline Kennedy, has made a fatal cancer public. A personal account reveals not only her fears as a mother, but also criticism of her own family.
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- Tatiana Schlossberg, granddaughter of John F. Kennedy, has published an essay about her terminal cancer, which was diagnosed shortly after the birth of her daughter in May 2024.
- Despite intensive treatment, the disease remained resistant. She probably only has about a year left to live.
- In her text, she also criticizes the healthcare policy of her cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr. who, as Secretary of Health, was responsible for massive cuts in medical research.
Tatiana Schlossberg, the daughter of Caroline Kennedy and Edwin Schlossberg, has made it public that she is terminally ill with cancer. The granddaughter of former US President John F. Kennedy writes this in a personal essay in the "New Yorker".
She was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in May 2024 - just a few hours after the birth of her daughter. Her doctor had detected irregularities in her blood count. Schlossberg was 34 years old at the time. "I didn't believe the doctors were talking about me. I didn't feel ill. In fact, I was one of the healthiest people I knew," Schlossberg writes in her essay.
She underwent several chemotherapies, bone marrow transplants and clinical trials. But the disease kept coming back. During her last clinical trial, the doctor told her that he could keep her alive for another year.
Schlossberg writes: "My first thought was that my children would not remember me. My son might have a few memories, but he would probably confuse them with pictures or stories. I could never really take care of my daughter. I don't know if she'll remember that I'm her mother when I'm gone."
Her cousin cut spending on medical research
Schlossberg also writes about how, during her treatment, her cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was nominated by US President Donald Trump to be Secretary of Health and Human Services. She criticizes him for making massive cuts to medical research and healthcare programs despite having no experience in medicine or healthcare - measures that also affected her own chances of survival.
"All my life I have tried to be a good student, a good sister and a good daughter and never to upset my mother. Now I have added a new tragedy to her life, to our family's life. And there is nothing I can do to stop it," Schlossberg writes. She now wants to spend as much time as possible with her children: "Sometimes I tell myself that I will remember this forever. Even when I'm dead."
