JFK's nephew Timothy Shriver reveals how the Kennedys kept Rosemary's lobotomy secret Timothy Shriver, 55, has written a new book about his work with disabled athletes and has dedicated a chapter to stories about his aunt Rosemary Rosemary was born with mental disabilities, which the family tried to hide from friends and from Rosemary herself When she was 23, her father Joseph secretly took her for a lobotomy - but it left her largely unable to speak or move He was too ashamed to see her and her family did not ask where she was Shriver remembers Rosemary in her later years and how she could say just a few words, including 'something to eat' and 'Teddy' For decades, the Kennedys kept quiet about Rosemary, JFK's younger sister, who was born with mental disabilities and whose botched lobotomy saw her sent away to an institution for life. But now, Rosemary's nephew Timothy Shriver has opened up about the family's secret - and his memories of his aunt being able to speak just a handful of words before her death in 2005. In a new book about his work with disabled athletes, 'Fully Alive', he has detailed the family's relationship with his aunt Rosemary, who was the family's driving force behind helping others. He reveals how her father, Joe, went ahead with the lobotomy behind his family's back, and how, 'shattered by the results of his decision', he refused to visit her for the rest of his life. Distinguished family: Rosemary Kennedy, sitting second from right, was born with mental disabilities and underwent a lobotomy aged 23 before vanishing into obscurity. She is pictured in the 1930s with her family, L-R, Joseph Jr, Robert, Edward, John, Joseph Sr, Rose, Eunice, Jean, Patricia, Rosemary and Kathleen Stepping out: Rosemary, then 19, is pictured right with her mother Rose and sister Kathleen in May 1938, when they were presented at Court. She underwent the botched lobotomy three years later Rosemary's family speculated that her disabilities were due to oxygen deprivation when she was born and they tried their hardest to keep them a secret - sending her to the same school as her siblings and including her in their hobbies, according to excerpts of the book in People magazine. 'They tried to hide Rosemary's condition from their friends, and even from Rosemary herself,' Shriver, 55, wrote. But the code of silence led Rosemary to become confused and frustrated when she could not keep up. After moving to England with her father's job as ambassador to Great Britain, and initially enjoying the praise that followed her society debut, Rosemary quickly became angry and violent. In 1941, her father spoke to the doctors about his daughter's temper. 'My grandfather scheduled a lobotomy for Rosemary - without telling my grandmother or any of his other children,' Shriver wrote. Secret: After Rosemary (center in 1940) underwent a lobotomy in 1941 and went to live at a Catholic Institution, her parents did not say where she was and her siblings (including Jean and John, pictured) did not ask He described the 'chilling' procedure, which involved surgeons cutting into the brain while the patient was still conscious and only stopping when the patient could no longer communicate. 'The outcome, in Rosemary's case, was devastating,' Shriver wrote. She could no longer speak, her mobility was damaged and 'she lost her independence for the rest of her life,' he wrote. She was sent to a Catholic institution in Wisconsin. Afterwards, Joseph Kennedy refused to visit her and her siblings did not even know where she was. 'The code of secrecy kicked in and Rosemary disappeared,' Shriver wrote. But much later, she visited the Shrivers' home and Timothy Shriver remembers that she could speak just a few words, including 'Teddy', 'something to eat', 'baby' and 'Eunice' - his mother's name. New details: Her nephew, Timothy Shriver (pictured left with his sister Mariam) shared anecdotes about Rosemary in his new book, Fully Alive: Discovering What Matters Most He also recalled her demanding that she wanted 'no diet food', he said. While the family struggled to come to terms with the loss of Rosemary, Shriver, the chairman of the Special Olympics, believes she installed in them a desire to care unconditionally for others. 'With Rosemary, they needed only to give love in order to receive it back,' he wrote. She passed away from natural causes on January 7, 2005, aged 86, at a Wisconsin hospital, with her sisters Jean, Eunice, and Patricia, and brother Ted, by her side. Fully Alive: Discovering What Matters Most is released on November 11.