—charlielotte

During Rosemary’s birth, the attending doctor was delayed, and a nurse instructed her mother, Rose, to keep her legs closed to postpone the delivery. For two hours, this restriction deprived baby Rosemary of oxygen, which is believed to have caused a brain injury that resulted in lifelong developmental disabilities.

As Rosemary grew older, her behavioral struggles and mood swings increasingly alarmed her family, who were extremely conscious of their public image. In 1941, at age 23, her father arranged a secret lobotomy — without telling her mother — that involved drilling holes into both sides of her head and inserting a medical spatula into her cranium. The procedure was reportedly botched, and it left Rosemary with the mental capacity of a toddler. She spent the rest of her life in institutions, hidden from public view.

For decades, little was known about Rosemary, while the rest of the Kennedys projected an image of glamour, intelligence, and success. However, in the 1960s, her story began to surface through journalists and biographers. The secrecy surrounding her contrasted sharply with the family’s polished image, and she was often described as their “dark secret.” Eventually, Rosemary’s siblings acknowledged her more openly and shifted their narrative toward disability advocacy, particularly through the Special Olympics