MacKenzie's life would be classified as ideal by most teenage standards. A set of supportive parents who were still lovingly married, a best friend who was also her identical twin, a mentally tough athlete (who had more muscles than most of her guy friends), and a competitive GPA that was sure to get her into a great college. Everything was right on track for a perfect life, until the age of sixteen, when she was shockingly diagnosed with cancer during a routine physical. Living with the Ribbon is an authentic recount of how MacKenzie Greenberg dealt with the diagnosis (what denial?), suffered through anxiety at each medical appointment (all one hundred-plus of them), responded with "Fine" when asked that annoying "How are you doing/feeling?" question, stubbornly refused to listen to the advice of her support system to "take it easy," and ultimately, how she continues to battle daily with a disease that will not play by the rules.