Meet Rachel Kachnycz: Brain Cancer Survivor, Positivity Advocate

Hello, it’s nice to meet all of you. I am Rachel Kachnycz, a 24-year-old woman from Ambler, Pennsylvania.

My sole thought was to keep my life together, like a Jenga game, and not let myself fall apart despite losing many of my pieces. In 2011, I became a Bryn Mawr alumna, with a degree in linguistics and languages, specifically Mandarin Chinese and Japanese. I spent a summer in Qingdao, China studying Chinese, and I am waiting for my opportunity to visit Japan.

Though this diagnosis came to me as a shock, I think that in life we get that for which we ask. I needed something to make me put my silly anxieties and my entire life into perspective. I needed to truly appreciate the opportunity that I have here on this earth. Now I can say that I do.


It is all about the now. During treatment, I found out that I have a TP53 genetic mutation, passed on through my mother, which results in Li-Fraumeni syndrome, a disease that leaves me 25 times more likely to get soft tissue cancers, and more susceptible for my prior brain cancer to return. I have become an advocate for early screening and genetic testing. I am alive, and I have an obligation to myself to make the cancer experience less lonely for others.
The key is that I do not let the odds stop me. I truly believe that our attitudes define our realities. If I gave into the survival rates, I would be asking for illness to return. Instead, I focus on the things that make me happy and make me want to live a long life.
I volunteer with multiple programs: a pet adoption agency, the Li-Fraumeni Syndrome Association, and through Penn as a Proton Treatment Alumna, mentoring those going through treatment. I also tutor English as a second language, and help out with tutoring at the local elementary schools.
What I plan to do through my blog series is to show you that no matter what, the good in life outweighs the bad. Our minds, bodies, and spirits are one, and we must hone in on the positive. By being grateful for the beautiful moments in each day, we are truly living.
Rachel continues to write about her experiences on her personal blog Live for Something.
To hear more patients stories from the Abramson Cancer Center, visit TheCureisWithin.com today.
To hear more patients stories from the Abramson Cancer Center, visit TheCureisWithin.com today.
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