Wife of doctor killed in Afghanistan: No ill will toward gunman --- Jerry Umanos, the Chicago pediatrician gunned down in Afghanistan, would have wanted people to respond to his death by opening their hearts to those who live in the war-torn nation, his wife said in a tearful statement. --- "Our family and friends have suffered a great loss and our hearts are aching," Jan Schuitema told reporters in front of the couple's Kenwood home this afternoon. "While our hearts are aching for our loss, we're also aching for the loss of the other families as well as the loss, the multiple losses, that the Afghan people have experienced. -- "And I know Jerry would also really like everybody to know about his love for the Afghan people and our love for the Afghan people and that we don't hold any ill will towards Afghanistan in general, or even the gunman who did this. We don't know what his history is," she added. --- Umanos was among three Americans killed when a police officer working as a security guard opened fire at a Kabul hospital funded by a U.S. Christian charity. He was gunned down along with a father and son visiting the Cure Hospital, which specializes in children's and maternal health, according to Afghan officials. -- "As they were walking out of the hospital, the security guard opened fire on them, killing three and wounding another one," an Interior Ministry official said. -- A friend and colleague said Umanos had become more worried about his safety. He had been shot at while jogging, and a dentist who lived in a neighboring compound had been killed in January. --- “He was obviously concerned,” said Dr. Art. Jones. "At the same time, you can’t count the number of children that Jerry’s impacted, the lives he’s saved on his own, and with the doctors he trained. That’s who he was. He was driven by the kids.” -- Umanos had worked as a pediatrician at Lawndale Christian Health Center on the West Side for more than 16 years when he and his wife moved to Afghanistan. Umanos worked at a community health center and at a children's hospital in Kabul, helping train Afghan doctors.-- "Jerry always wanted to serve under-served populations" his wife said. "Afghanistan was just one of them. He always had a desire to be the hands and feet of Christ. He had a love and commitment that he expressed for the Afghan people because of that love for Christ. -- "He saw the need. He went, as did I for several years. And that need continues," added Schuitema, who is a special needs teachers for Chicago Public Schools. --- Umanos was one of the first doctors hired at the Lawndale clinic, and it took little convincing to recruit him despite the fact that his salary would be the same as when he was a medical resident, according to Jones, one of Lawndale Christian Health Center’s founders. -- “He was just the fourth doctor we had, and he was with us ever since,” Jones said. “He was committed to his faith and to helping the poor.” -- About seven years ago, Umanos took a brief trip to volunteer at the Cure clinic in Afghanistan, and within a few years he was spending most of the year in the war-torn country, training doctors and living in spartan conditions. -- While “Dr. Jerry” was less frequently on hand at the Lawndale clinic, a wall in the lobby was covered with pictures and statistics about conditions in Afghanistan, Jones said. -- “I don’t know anyone who went as often or stayed as long as Jerry. He sort of realized that how he was spending his time, the magnitude of impact he could have in a place like Afghanistan, even compared to the inner-city in Chicago, was just so much greater,” Jones said. -- “He basically came back here for a few months each year, to make enough money so he could go back,” he added. -- Jones visited Umanos in Afghanistan twice, spending a few weeks each time. -- “I was there for a few weeks five years ago. It was winter, and the house was so cold, they didn’t need a refrigerator. They could just leave the food out in the kitchen,” Jones said. --- The Lawndale Christian Health Center provides affordable health services. Founded in 1984 by a local church on the site of a former Cadillac dealership, the health center has expanded to offer a fitness center, and has satellite clinics in Homan Square, Farragut Career Academy and Archer Heights. - More, Mitch Smith, Andy Grimm and Rosemary - chicagotribune