It’s not just bad that Rosemary was seemingly forced to get brain surgery, but when it became clear that it was botched, the family did the worst thing possible. The lobotomy left Rosemary with the mental capacity of a 2-year-old. As John’s presidential aspirations became clearer, Joe didn’t want anything to get in the way, so he hid Rosemary away in several facilities.

He housed Rosemary in a facility in upstate New York for seven years before moving her to the Saint Coletta School for Exceptional Children in Wisconsin. For 20 years, the Kennedys didn’t see Rosemary, and Joe told his children and the public that she was off studying. He never saw her again, but when he died, the truth about Rosemary came out.

Her siblings did everything they could to make up for lost time, and even President John Kennedy created the first federal programs to support those with different abilities. Eunice created the Special Olympics, which were inspired by her sister. While lobotomies are highly controversial, the most upsetting part of this story was that Rosemary was kept away from her family and hidden in the shadows for almost two decades.

Some even think Joe’s decision to treat his daughter this way in favor of political success led to a curse upon the Kennedys.