Suleika Jaouad Interview: Surviving and Thriving

Suleika Jouad’s life was forever changed when, as a young student at Juilliard, she was diagnosed with a rare form of acute myeloid leukemia. Told she had only a 35% chance of survival, Ms. Jouad was determined not to become defined by her illness. While in a decade-long remission, she graduated Princeton and wrote an award-winning NY Times blog, “Life Interrupted.” Shortly after her diagnosis, she reconnected with a fellow Juilliard student whom she had met as a teenager, the now-renowned musician Jon Baptiste. They were married in 2022, just after her leukemia returned following a prolonged period of remaining cancer-free. The story of their unshakable love and the healing power of music will touch your heart in this poignant and unforgettable episode of The Thread.