Acute Myeloid Leukemia with a Rare Mutation
Second Child of Caroline Kennedy, Daughter of the Former President
Tatiana Schlossberg, 35, granddaughter of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy, has been diagnosed with blood cancer and has been told she has less than a year to live.
According to CNN and other outlets on the 22nd (local time), Schlossberg revealed in an essay contributed to the U.S. weekly magazine The New Yorker that she was diagnosed last year with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) accompanied by a rare mutation. CNN reported that this genetic abnormality is found in less than 2% of AML cases.
Tatiana Schlossberg, granddaughter of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy. Photo by AP Yonhap News.
Schlossberg is the second of three children of Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, daughter of the former president. An environmental journalist, she learned of her cancer diagnosis shortly after giving birth to her second child in May last year. Medical staff told Schlossberg, "A normal white blood cell count is about 4,000 to 11,000 cells per microliter, but yours was 131,000 cells per microliter." Afterward, Schlossberg endured a difficult period, participating in an immunotherapy clinical trial for a specific type of blood cancer and undergoing chemotherapy and bone marrow treatment, but ultimately received the shocking news from her doctor: "You may not have more than a year to live."
Schlossberg said, "My parents and siblings have cared for my children and stayed with me in the hospital almost every day," adding, "Even so, I feel their pain every day." She continued, "I regret that I am adding a new chapter to the tragic history of the Kennedy family."
The Kennedy family is considered one of America’s most prominent political dynasties, but has been plagued by frequent tragedies, leading to the so-called 'Kennedy curse.' In 1963, former President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and five years later, in 1968, his brother and former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy was also killed by gunfire. In addition, John F. Kennedy Jr., the former president's son, died in a plane crash with his wife in 1999.
Meanwhile, Tatiana’s younger brother, Jack Schlossberg, officially announced last month that he would run for the U.S. House of Representatives, marking the first time a direct descendant of President Kennedy has run for elected office. In a video posted on Instagram, he said, "The country is facing a crisis on all fronts and stands at a turning point," and criticized President Donald Trump by saying, "A dangerous individual is stripping citizens of their rights and suppressing the voices of critics."
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