tatiana Schlossberg, Granddaughter of JFK, Reveals terminal Cancer Diagnosis & Criticizes RFK Jr.’s Healthcare Policies
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A heartbreaking account from Tatiana Schlossberg, daughter of Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg and cousin to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F.kennedy Jr.,details her battle with acute myeloid leukemia and sharply criticizes the policies of her relative,alleging they jeopardize critical medical research and access to care.
schlossberg, a journalist and mother of two young children, revealed her diagnosis in a recent article for the New Yorker, explaining she received the devastating news shortly after giving birth to her daughter last year. Despite undergoing extensive treatment – including chemotherapy, stem cell transplants, and participation in clinical trials – she has been given a prognosis of no more than one year to live.
The Irony of Cutting-Edge Treatment & Funding Cuts
The personal tragedy is compounded,Schlossberg writes,by the stark irony of receiving a potentially life-extending CAR-T treatment – a groundbreaking therapy developed over decades with substantial government funding – while witnessing RFK Jr. actively dismantle the very programs that made it possible.
“As I spent more and more of my life under the care of doctors,nurses,and researchers striving to improve the lives of others,I watched as Bobby cut nearly a half billion dollars for research into mRNA vaccines,technology that could be used against certain cancers; slashed billions in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH),the world’s largest sponsor of medical research; and threatened to oust the panel of medical experts charged with recommending preventive cancer screenings,” Schlossberg detailed in her article.
Impact on Research & Patient Care
The consequences of these cuts, according to Schlossberg, are far-reaching. Hundreds of NIH grants and clinical trials have been cancelled, impacting thousands of patients. She expressed specific concern for funding dedicated to leukemia and bone-marrow research at Memorial Sloan Kettering, as well as the trials representing her “only shot at remission.”
“I worried about the trials that were my only shot at remission,” she wrote.
A Life-Saving Drug Under Threat
Schlossberg’s ordeal extends beyond cancer treatment. She recounts a postpartum hemorrhage following her daughter’s birth, requiring a dose of misoprostol to stop the bleeding. This drug, she notes, is also used in medication abortion, a procedure that RFK Jr. has actively sought to restrict through a “review” by the Food and Drug Governance.
“I freeze when I think about what would have happened if it had not been immediately available to me and to millions of other women who need it to save their lives or to get the care they deserve,” Schlossberg stated.
The situation underscores a chilling reality: the policies of a family member are directly impacting her access to life-saving care and threatening the progress of medical research that offers hope to countless others. Schlossberg’s powerful narrative serves as a stark warning about the potential consequences of political interference in healthcare and the vital importance of continued investment in medical innovation.
Read the full New Yorker article here.
Reader question:– What is the main focus of schlossberg’s criticism? She criticizes RFK Jr.’s healthcare policies, alleging they jeopardize medical research and access to care. She specifically cites cuts to research funding and potential restrictions on life-saving medications.
