 But in reality, it appears our 35th president dealt with a variety of health issues throughout his life. And by the time he took office, dealt with near constant pain. Quote, there was hardly a day that went by that he didn't suffer terribly, said Robert Dalek, the presidential historian and author of An Unfinished Life, John F. Kennedy, 1917 to 1963, who was granted access to Kennedy's x-rays and prescription drug records from 1955 to the end of his life.