Rosemary Kennedy is the daughter of a famous family whose life, until recently, was shrouded in mystery. The name of this woman became widely known after the publication of the book "Vanished Kennedy", authored by E. Kohler-Pentacroff. What was the reason that the beloved child was hidden from the whole world and put into oblivion? Look for the answer to this article.
While nothing portended trouble ...
The Kennedy family could not even think that such a joyful event - the birth of the first daughter, who was already the third child, would eventually be overshadowed by tragic events. In the meantime, the bright and joyful day of September 13, 1918 was beautiful and happy. In such a respectable family, a very beautiful and healthy girl appeared very similar to her mother.
The child was given the name Rose Mary Kennedy. Parents who were at the time of birth: mother - 28 years old, father - 30 - called her loving Rosie or Rosemary.
First signals
At first, the baby was no different from other newborn children, but over time, parents noticed that the child still lags behind their peers in development. Rosemary was not the first child in this family, so there was nobody to compare with. It was noticeable that she began to crawl, speak and walk much later than the due date.
The surviving parents soon calmed down, because the luminaries of medicine who examined the girl promised that everything would work out soon - the child would catch up with his peers, and there was nothing wrong with this lag. However, this time the doctors issued an erroneous verdict. It soon became clear that Rosemary Kennedy was really behind development, she was mentally retarded.
Family decision
The first reaction to such a terrible diagnosis was dictated by a huge tenderness for an innocent and deeply beloved child. The Kennedy family decided to work together to make the little girl live a happy life and be surrounded by love and attention.
The father of the family insisted that the daughter would live with them. All offers to send the girl to specialized institutions were rejected. Rosemary's parents and siblings hoped they could heal her with their love.
Witnesses say that over the course of several years this attitude towards the girl really yielded results.
Rosemary's family life
In addition to Rose Mary, the family had 8 more children, and they all loved her sister very much. Each in his own way tried to attract the girl to his business.
Noting that the girl loves boat racing and that it gives her great pleasure to be in the very boat that leads, the brothers always took her with them for this kind of entertainment. Moreover, my sister was always very obedient.
The girl’s mother, Rosa Fitzgerald, noticed that her daughter really likes when she sings and plays the piano. This pastime has become frequent in this family. Mother played and sang, and Rosemary danced, which, incidentally, she did well.
The girl did it so well that her brothers often invited her to dance during festivities and parties to give her pleasure. This idyll was marred by only one girl’s question: “Why can I dance only with my brothers and not with anyone else?”
Another girl really liked when she was presented with compliments. Witnesses claimed that a compliment on her beautiful smile could make her smile for hours. Rosemary watched her appearance: beautiful outfits, hairstyles and manicures were her passion.
Aggravation of the situation
With age, Rosemary from a sweet, good-natured, smiling child began to turn into an aggressive teenager. Her emotions sometimes just went wild, and it was difficult for family members to control her. The girl grew up, she could not be under constant supervision, and this was fraught with the disclosure of family secrets.
Mother was worried about this situation, and she continued to show her daughter to various specialists in the field of psychiatry. The doctors kept repeating as one: "There is no hope that Rosemary Kennedy will recover." Not only that, the doctors advised to immediately identify the daughter in a specialized clinic, where she will be properly monitored and cared for.
The act that changed everything
It should be noted that the role of the father in this family was very large. The final word was always his. And the head of the family believed that his son John had a bright future. One of Kennedy, the president, is his dream. Over time, his father began to think about the fact that Rosemary's painful condition could adversely affect the career of his beloved son.
When the father of the family, Joseph Patrick, was appointed to be the US ambassador to the UK, the family became a member of high society. This led to the fact that the eldest daughters, Rosemary and Kathleen, were soon introduced to the royal family. The ceremony itself took place in Buckingham Palace, and it was here that Rosemary Kennedy performed an act that changed her future fate.
Actually, nothing bad happened, making a curtsy, the young lady stumbled, she hesitated, and this gave rise to the fact that in society began to talk about her unhealthy condition.
Fatal decision
The “delinquent” Rosemary was hidden in a monastery. It should be noted that the girl’s behavior began to change not for the better: attacks of aggression became more frequent, an inadequate reaction to various life situations appeared. Uncontrolled bouts of anger ended up with Rosemary showing tremendous power, could afford to run into a person with any object. The girl began to run away from her prison.
At the very beginning of 1941, the head of the family began to be interested in experimental neurosurgery. The fact that lobotomy cures mentally ill people, he told his wife. A mother instructed one of her daughters to study the issue of lobotomy, because at that time the American Medical Association was a staunch opponent of such interference in the human brain.
Kathleen, who was interested in the procedure for the operation, concluded that Rosemary would be of no use to such an operation. She reported this to her mother.
The mother of the family brought her doubts to the knowledge of Joseph Patrick. However, he ignored the findings of the female half.
The father, without even consulting his relatives, decides to have his daughter undergo surgery - a lobotomy. He insists that surgery be carried out without delay.
Lobotomy: a brief medical report
Lobotomy of the brain is an operation associated with the destruction of the cortex of the frontal lobes of the brain. Previously, this surgery was carried out in order to facilitate the course of diseases such as depression, schizophrenia, psychosis, criminal behavior, anxious fears and conditions. Nowadays, such an operation is practically not done.
Lobotomy often causes a complete change in personality, leading to mental inferiority.
Medical statistics say that from 1936 to 1951 in the United States more than 18 thousand patients underwent this operation. In the USSR since 1940, lobotomy is prohibited.
Operation Details
Joseph Kennedy made his decision after consulting with renowned lobotomy surgeons who promised him a good result. So, in the fall of 1941, secretly from his wife and children, the head of the Kennedy family appointed an operation day for his eldest daughter.
The operation was performed by Dr. Freeman and James. Rosemary was conscious during a lobotomy. Moreover, she even answered the doctor’s questions. According to one of the doctors, the patient was made incisions in the brain area to a depth of two and a half centimeters. The depth of incisions was controlled by the girl’s behavior, when the doctors heard
incoherent speech, the surgery was stopped.
Result of surgery
Rosemary at the time of the operation was 23 years old. This procedure did not give any improvement. Rosemary Kennedy after lobotomy began to feel much worse: in its development, she returned to her infancy.
The problem with outbreaks of aggression, of course, was resolved, but the girl herself became completely helpless.
Rosemary was sent to one of the specialized schools in Wisconsin. Here she stayed until her last day.
Rosemary's relationship with his family after a lobotomy
John F. Kennedy, President of the United States, albeit indirectly, but still played a role in the fact that his sister was expelled from the family, oblivious. Such a high position, and here one of the family members of the head of state suffers from dementia ...
It was the father’s decision to do everything possible to avoid disseminating any information about the accident that happened to one of the members of the Kennedy family.
Such a decision turned out that the girls' brothers and sisters never looked for a meeting with her, never interested in her further fate. Moreover, the name of the girl was no longer remembered in home conversations.
Probably, only one mother secretly visited her child once a year, and even these visits were very rare and strictly classified.
Time has done its job, they soon began to forget about the third child of the Kennedy couple. The secret Kennedy family was owned only by their family doctor - Dr. Brown. Rumor has it that the security service was also aware of the operation.
Rosemary's life after surgery
As already mentioned, the girl was placed in a specialized medical institution. The girl’s mental abilities were equated with the development of a two-year-old baby: on her own, she could neither eat, nor dress, nor wash. Rosemary needed constant supervision and care.
In the territory of the special hospital, over time, a private house was erected for the special patient, where she lived until her death.
It should be noted that Rosemary survived not only her parents, but also her famous brothers. Having lived to the age of 86, a woman in 2005 died, as the doctors say, from natural causes.