When Gacy was eleven years old
he was playing by a swing set when he was hit in the head by one of the
swings. The accident caused a blood clot in the brain. However, the blood
clot was not discovered until he was sixteen. From the age of eleven to
sixteen he suffered a series of blackouts caused by the clot, yet the
blackouts ceased when he was given medication to dissolve the blockage in
the brain.
At the age of seventeen, Gacy was diagnosed
with a non-specific heart ailment. He was hospitalized on several
occasions for his problem throughout his life but they were not able to
find an exact cause for the pain he was suffering. However, although he
complained frequently about his heart (especially after his arrest), he
never suffered any serious heart attack.
During Gacy's late teens, he suffered some
turmoil with his father, although relations with his mother and sisters
were very strong. John Wayne Gacy, Sr. was an abusive alcoholic who
physically abused his wife and verbally assaulted his children. Although
John Sr. was an unpleasant individual, young Gacy deeply loved his father
and wanted desperately to gain his devotion and attention. Unfortunately,
he was never able to get very close to his father before he died,
something which he regretted his entire life.
