Tatiana Schlossberg ‘Discovered the Courage to Compose the Most Brutally Honest Essay Possible’ Just Weeks Before Her Passing (Exclusive)
The New Yorker’s David Remnick shares with people that he remains “eternally thankful” for publishing Schlossberg’s profound final essay about accepting terminal cancer as a young parent of two
In the weeks preceding Tatiana Schlossberg’s death, she composed a deeply moving essay for The New Yorker detailing her acute myeloid leukemia diagnosis. Now, days following her passing at 35 on December 30th, the magazine’s editor-in-chief, David Remnick, is celebrating her courage.
Editor Praises Extraordinary Courage
“Tatiana’s passing is heartbreaking on so many levels, and yet she discovered the courage to compose the most brutally honest essay possible,” Remnick, 67, shares with PEOPLE, acknowledging the environmental journalist’s compelling narrative voice.
“Every aspect of her writing—her unflinching perspective on her illness and remaining time, her immeasurable devotion to her family, her sorrow that her children may not retain memories of her, her candid frustration regarding her close relative, [Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]—all of it radiates such passionate conviction, such clarity and immediacy,” Remnick elaborates.
A Powerful Final Statement
Schlossberg’s New Yorker essay disclosed her terminal diagnosis publicly for the first time, documenting her experience of internally absorbing the news as the mother of two small children within a family that has endured repeated tragedies.
“I’ll remain eternally thankful that she summoned the determination to share this with The New Yorker’s readership and countless others,” Remnick expresses.
During a conversation with The New York Times, Remnick explained he hadn’t requested or anticipated an essay from Schlossberg, the daughter of Caroline Kennedy and Edwin Schlossberg, when she presented it in November.
Remnick revealed he was so profoundly affected by her writing that he immediately approved the piece, which underwent minimal editing before appearing online on November 22nd and featuring in the magazine’s December 8th print edition. The essay’s digital publication date coincided exactly with the 62nd anniversary of JFK’s assassination.
An Immediate and Profound Impact
Remnick conveyed to the Times, “It represented such exceptional, exceptionally truthful, in countless respects, writing.”
“It radiated such warmth and generosity that publishing it was clearly an honor,” he stated, noting, “It possessed tremendous heart and intellect and truthfulness. On every dimension.”
Addressing Family and Health Policy
Schlossberg’s essay extended beyond her personal cancer experience, also critiquing the unconventional health positions of her cousin, Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr., whom Schlossberg noted had never “practiced in medicine, public health or government” before President Donald Trump appointed him to supervise medical and scientific funding.
She described one especially distressing decision by her cousin, writing he “eliminated nearly half a billion dollars designated for mRNA vaccine research, technology that shows promise against specific cancers.”
Her Medical Journey
Schlossberg disclosed in her essay that she received her initial diagnosis following the birth of her second child, a daughter, in 2024, and learned she would require extended chemotherapy and a bone-marrow transplant.
“I couldn’t—refused to—accept that they meant me. I had completed a mile-long swim the previous day, nine months pregnant. I wasn’t ill. I felt perfectly healthy. I considered myself among the healthiest individuals I knew,” she explained.
“I had a son I cherished beyond measure and a newborn requiring my care,” she wrote. She and spouse George Moran, who married in 2017, had a 3-year-old son, Edwin, and 1-year-old daughter, Josephine.
Following a bone-marrow transplant at Memorial Sloan Kettering and receiving chemotherapy at home, Schlossberg participated in experimental CAR-T-cell therapy, an immunotherapy approach for treating specific blood cancers. Subsequently, her physician informed her she had approximately one year remaining.
Family Announces Her Passing
The JFK Library Foundation’s social media channels announced Schlossberg’s death on behalf of her extended family on December 30th.
“Our beloved Tatiana departed this morning. She will permanently reside in our hearts,” they posted in a message signed by “George, Edwin and Josephine Moran, Ed, Caroline, Jack, Rose and Rory.”
A Legacy of Truth and Courage
Schlossberg’s final essay stands as a testament to her remarkable strength and willingness to confront mortality with unflinching honesty. By sharing her most vulnerable moments publicly, she created a lasting document of courage that will continue resonating with readers facing similar circumstances or seeking to understand the human experience of terminal illness.
Her decision to write candidly about both her personal medical journey and her concerns about public health policy demonstrates the depth of her commitment to truth-telling, even in her final weeks. The essay serves not only as a farewell but as a final act of advocacy—for cancer patients, for scientific research funding, and for the value of evidence-based medicine.