In the days following Tatiana Schlossberg’s passing on December 30, 2025, at the age of 35 from acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the medical community and the public continue to be struck by the aggressiveness and extreme rarity of the cancer she fought so bravely. In a recent national television interview, oncologist Dr. Rabia De Latour – Assistant Professor of Medicine at NYU Grossman School of Medicine – provided a detailed analysis of Tatiana’s condition, explaining why this was one of the most difficult cases physicians have encountered.Dr. De Latour emphasized that while AML accounts for only about 1% of all cancers, Tatiana fell into an extraordinarily rare subset: only 1–1.5% of AML cases carry the Inversion 3 genetic mutation – a variant that dramatically worsens prognosis and severely limits the chances of successful treatment or cure.“This is unfortunately a very sad case,” Dr. De Latour said. “The Inversion 3 mutation typically appears in older patients, and it makes treatment extremely challenging. Long-term survival rates are very low, even with the most modern therapies available.”According to the doctor, Tatiana’s leukemia was discovered incidentally through routine blood work immediately after giving birth to her second child, Josephine, in May 2024. The test revealed a white blood cell count of 131,000 – when normal levels range from 4,000 to 11,000. There were no obvious symptoms beforehand; Tatiana had been exceptionally healthy, even swimming a mile in the pool just one day before delivery.“Many AML patients are diagnosed this way – incidentally through blood tests, just like Tatiana,” Dr. De Latour explained. “Others develop symptoms such as fatigue, anemia, nosebleeds, fever, unexplained weight loss, or night sweats because the immature cancer cells crowd out healthy red blood cells, platelets, and mature white blood cells.”The oncologist highlighted that AML occurs when precursor white blood cells (blasts) proliferate uncontrollably in the bone marrow, preventing normal blood cell production. These immature cells can also invade other areas, including the central nervous system, causing additional complications.“In Tatiana’s case, despite multiple rounds of intensive chemotherapy, two bone marrow transplants (the first from her sister Rose, the second from an anonymous donor), and participation in clinical trials including CAR-T cell therapy, the disease continued to relapse,” Dr. De Latour said. “While heartbreaking, this outcome is not entirely unexpected with the Inversion 3 mutation.”When asked about the possibility of a medical miracle, Dr. De Latour responded with honesty:
“I do believe in medical miracles, but it’s also important to be realistic. The treatments Tatiana underwent were extremely intense – chemotherapy, bone marrow transplant, immunotherapy – and they significantly impact quality of life. At some point, when further interventions are unlikely to provide meaningful benefit, shifting to comfort care and palliation becomes the most humane choice.”She also stressed the critical need for continued research funding:
“Immunotherapies like CAR-T are the result of decades of publicly funded research. Any reduction in research budgets can directly affect hope for future patients like Tatiana.”Tatiana Schlossberg was far more than a patient.

She was a journalist, an environmental advocate, a wife, a mother, and a daughter who used her own story to raise awareness about medical research, patient support, and the importance of living fully in the face of impossible odds.Though she is gone, her voice – through her final, unflinching essay in The New Yorker – continues to resonate, reminding us of life’s fragility and the enduring value of courage, love, and honesty in the face of reality.Rest in peace, Tatiana.
Your legacy – both medical and human – will live on forever.