This browser does not support the Video element.
Medicaid cuts impacting West Seattle Twins rare cancer fight
West Seattle mother of infant twins, both diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, is speaking out about her fear that new federal budget cuts to Medicaid could jeopardize her daughters' care.
SEATTLE - As federal Medicaid cuts take effect, a West Seattle mother fears the lifeline keeping her twin daughters alive could be stripped away.
"I will never forget the moment that the doctors told me there was leukemia presenting in Josie’s blood," Mallory Carlson said. Hours later, her other infant daughter, Lucy, was diagnosed with the same rare cancer.
The West Seattle mother of three is now speaking out online — not only about the devastating toll of infant acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), but also about the financial uncertainty families like hers face as federal Medicaid cuts take effect.
Seattle twins diagnosed with rare condition
The backstory:
Carlson said her daughters’ diagnosis came just weeks after relocating from California and moving her family into their first home in West Seattle.
Doctors told Carlson, both Josie and Lucy, now eight months old, face two years of chemotherapy. She shared that survival rates for all infants are low, and treatment is grueling.
"Some of us are just watching our children take their last breaths quite literally," Carlson said.
Clinical trial offers hope, but costs are too high
Why you should care:
Carlson has put her career as a wedding photographer on hold to focus on caring for her daughters. The girls have been admitted into a clinical trial at Seattle Children’s Hospital.
But the treatments come at a steep price. Carlson said care can reach $1 million annually per child. Her private insurance doesn’t cover the trial, so she applied for Medicaid.
"Anything our private insurance doesn’t cover – Medicaid covers it, which is incredible, but it’s false hope because I know it’s going to be gone any moment," she said. "So we are just accepting that at any moment we’ll go into medical bankruptcy. We’ve had to start a GoFundMe to beg people to help donate because I’ve had to stop working."
Carlson blames Congress for passing the "One Beautiful Bill Act" in July, cutting billions from Medicaid. She worries the program — and the clinical trial her daughters depend on — may no longer be sustainable.
"Our whole life is going to be impacted by not just this diagnosis but the policy changes that are happening right now," Carlson said. "Regardless of your political preference, we should all care about ourselves and our health and have a good backup plan."
What you can do:
Carlson’s story has gained traction online, where her candid videos on TikTok have drawn thousands of viewers.
"Everything I do, everything I say, everything I post on social media — I’m just fighting for my babies," she said. "Opening up my family to the media like this was not done lightly."
But Carlson says she feels a responsibility to use her platform.
"Putting myself out there, I feel it’s for a good purpose," she said. "I don’t want to scare people away and make them so uncomfortable that they don’t want to look."
What they're saying:
Carlson points out that while her family’s situation is rare, many other parents at Seattle Children’s are fighting similar battles.
"There’s a lot of suffering happening here at [Seattle] Children’s [Hospital]," she said. "Cancer is so cruel, we have to poison them to make them feel better."
Carlson and her family will join the Seattle Children’s Run of Hope fundraiser at Seward Park this weekend, walking alongside other families fighting childhood cancer.
Meanwhile, the debate over Medicaid cuts continues. Republicans in Washington state have pushed back against criticism. On X, Rep. Travis Couture wrote, "Democrats didn’t just cut Medicaid. They cut out the truth and blamed others," alleging that Gov. Bob Ferguson’s budget slashed nearly $800 million from the program.
MORE NEWS FROM FOX SEATTLE
Crews respond to sinking tugboat near Seattle's Fishermen's Terminal
Mount St. Helens stokes fears of eruption as strong winds stir ash left from historic 1980 blast
2 teens arrested in possible hate crime assault on WA transgender woman
Raleigh breaks Mantle's switch-hitter record, ties Griffey's Mariners record with 55th and 56th HRs
Why are there so many fruit flies in Seattle right now?
To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle newsletter.
Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.
The Source: Information in this story comes from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle reporter Lauren Donovan.