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He also suffered from Addison's disease, though this affliction was publicly concealed. "At least one-half of the days he spent on this earth," wrote his brother Robert, "were days of intense physical pain." (After he became president, Kennedy combatted the pain with injections of amphetamines - then thought to be harmless and used by more than a few celebrities for their energizing effect. According to some reports, both Kennedy and the first lady became heavily dependent on these injections through weekly use.) None of this prevented Kennedy from undertakinga strenuous life in politics. His family expected him to run for public office and to win.