At school, Heidnik was bullied for his odd-shaped head, which was the result of him falling out of a tree when he was young. However, Heidnik wasn’t underdeveloped. He had an I.Q of 148 and was a good student although didn’t have any friends.
In 1957, Heidnik enrolled at the Staunton Military Academy in Virginia where he stayed for two years, leaving just before his graduation. He went back to high school for a short period but left once again, this time to join the Army.
Just over a year later, Heidnik was excelling within the regimented programme. However, despite praise from his drill sergeant, Heidnik’s applications for specialist roles were rejected and he was sent to San Antonio, Texas to train as a medic. After another transfer to Landstuhl, West Germany, Heidnik earned his GED while working in the Army hospital.
In 1962, Heidnik began to complain of terrible headaches, blurred vision and nausea and was diagnosed with gastroenteritis. The neurologist who examined Heidnik also reported that the patient had symptoms of mental illness, and prescribed Heidnik anti-psychotic medication, trifluoperazine. Later that year, he was admitted to a military hospital in Philadelphia, and was diagnosed with a schizoid personality disorder.
Heidnik was honourably discharged from hospital and became a nurse, studying at the University of Pennsylvania. He dropped out shortly after enrolling and began a slew of nursing jobs, including Veterans Administration in Coatesville.
In 1967, he began a nursing role at the Elwyn Institute, a hospital for mentally undeveloped adults and children. He would spend time in psychiatric hospitals throughout his adult life, as would his brother, Terry, with both attempting suicide multiple times.
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