Patrick had difficulty breathing and was diagnosed with hyaline membrane disease (now renamed respiratory distress syndrome).
At the time, there weren’t a lot of treatment options available.
Before they left, Jackie held her baby’s hand while he was in an incubator.
The president tried to be optimistic about the situation.
Their older son, John F. Kennedy, Jr., had trouble breathing at birth.
Air was manually blown into his lungs to assist breathing.
When Jackie was discharged, she and JFK held hands as they walked to their car.
This gesture demonstrated a shift in their dynamic.
“The loss of Patrick seemed to be the catalyst to change all that.”
The first, in 1955, ended in a miscarriage.
In 1956 Jackie was pregnant again and gave birth to a stillborn daughter.
The baby arrived a month early while JFK was vacationing in the Mediterranean.
The then-senator got the news three days after the birth and was inclined to stay put.
As recounted in “J.F.K.
This time the president was more empathetic.
John F. Kennedy,” per “J.F.K.
’s Last Hundred Days.”
The president was more willing to include Jackie in his work
While John.
’s Last Hundred Days."
Jackie was heartened at her husband’s decision to include her in his work.
Three months later, JFK asked Jackie to accompany him on a trip to Dallas.
“I could have made his life so much happier, especially for the last few weeks.
I could have tried harder to get over my melancholy,” Rev.
Richard T. McSorley’s diary quoted Jackie (viaThe Washington Post).
