"Get to Know Me" Tess Michaelsen's Stage 4 Cancer Journey is Powerful, Real, Raw
Several months ago, the Ridgefield community came together in a remarkable show of love and support for Tess Michaelsen. Tess is the daughter of Ridgefield natives Art and Julia Michaelsen, former owners of the beloved Bartolo restaurant. At the time, she was facing a critical period in her cancer journey during surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital. Tess continues to fight - HARD.
Now, Tess is courageously sharing her journey with stage 4 poorly differentiated chordoma, a rare and incurable form of cancer, through her social media platforms. Her words resonate deeply, offering a window into her experience and inspiring others navigating similar paths.
My Story:
"I am 25 and I live in Boston, Massachusetts, with my partner. I’m currently undergoing cancer treatment for a very rare cancer with no cure. My cancer is called poorly differentiated chordoma. I was diagnosed in 2020 during my senior year of college.I recently graduated from graduate school at Boston University and I’m now a child life specialist at Tufts Medical Center. I felt and still feel very scared, but I’m trying to find my confidence through this. I definitely am very vulnerable about posting this, but this is something I wanted to do for a very long time, and I want to share my story for others. I want to be able to share my story, but also share advice for anyone who may be going through similar situations. But I also just want to share my life and share the fun parts of it. I just wanna show the light that I go through in some dark times. I also want to be able to share how I coped with having to wear a wig and figuring out ways to do my makeup differently for eyebrows and eyelashes—just everyday things that have changed a lot for me—that I could share and hopefully will help other people."
Tess uses the hashtags #cancer #baldbeauty #thisisme #gettoknowme
To follow Tess’s journey, find her on Instagram at @lifeoftess15 and TikTok at @tess1531.
We love you, Tess.