JFKs secret suffering - noble or deceitful?

In the "Medical Ordeals of JFK" an article in the Dec issue of the Atlantic historian Robert Dallek reveals that the apparently vibrant, young JFK spent most of his life in agony. He suffred from colon and prostate ailments, Addison's disease, high fevers, abcesses and, as was known, severe back problems. To quote Dallek: The lifelong problems of John F. Kennedy constitute one of the best-kept secrets of recent U.S. history -- no surprise, because if the extent of those problems had been revealed while he was alive, his presidential ambitions would likely have been dashed. Kennedy, like so many of his predecessors, was more intent on winning the presidency than on revealing himself to the public. Was JFK a stoic hero or was he deceitful to the American people? What are your views?