By Frank S. Abderholden
Lake County News-Sun
LAKE COUNTY, Ill. — Having a heart attack at age 32 was devastating enough for Timothy Namovicz, but the Lake County Jail officer continued to face additional complications.
The Mundelein resident — recently named “Correctional Officer of the Year” by the Illinois Sheriff’s Association for saving the life of an inmate trying to commit suicide — was released from the hospital with a stent in his heart two days after a June 5 heart attack.
Timothy and his wife Cynthia thought the worst was over, but he was back in the hospital in three days.
“Since then our lives have not been the same,” Cynthia Namovicz said.
He had blood clots form in one of his legs after heart surgery. Then, doctors determined he was bleeding internally and suffering from a hematoma due to blood thinners provided to help the clots dissolve.
More than three weeks after the heart attack and resulting procedures, Namoviczsaid he’s still having trouble standing for more than a few seconds and he can’t walk without pain.
“It’s a serious situation. The doctors say it is a medical anomaly,” Cynthia Namovicz said.
To help cover the rising costs of medical care and make ends meet for their four children, Cynthia Namovicz recently started a GoFundMe campaign.
“I’m in awe of how that works,” she said of the fundraising website. “People I’ve never met not only made donations, but they also sent kind words. I wasn’t alone.”
By Tuesday, 12 days after the fundraising campaign began, $1,760 was raised from 29 donors.
Timothy Namovicz was born and raised in Mundelein and graduated from Mundelein High School. He joined the Marine Corps. at 18, served two tours in Iraq and reached the rank of sergeant.
Returning to Lake County after active duty, he decided to become a correctional officer and signed up for the National Guard.
His original goal was to return to work July 1, about a month after the heart attack.
“He still doesn’t have sufficient blood flow in his right leg,” Cynthia Namovicz said.
She hasn’t been able to work either, because he isn’t supposed to lift anything, including their young kids.
“We’re kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place. This has never happened to us before,” she said.