Local Summit Electrician Needs Your Help!

I am sure many of you living in Summit, New Jersey and the surrounding communities will recognize the two guys in the picture. On the left is Oliver Browne of Oliver Browne & Sons Electrical Contracting sharing a cup of tea with his long time friend, master electrician, crew leader and 13 year employee Zenoviy (Zen) Khomyn. Ollie has often mentioned that Zen checked all the boxes as the ideal employee. Soft spoken, honest, hard working, loyal, knowledgeable, and courteous, Ukrainian born Zen holds an Electrical Engineering degree from the Lviv Polytechnic Institute in Ukraine. He emigrated to the US with his wife and daughter in 1996.

On April 22nd of this year Zen was doing yard work with his 37 year old daughter Ulyana at the house they share in Califon NJ. A freak gust of wind knocked a branch from a tree, slightly injuring Ulyana (minor cuts and bruises) but landing square on Zen, inflicting a traumatic head injury. Zen was airlifted to the trauma unit at Morristown Memorial. The surgeons there performed a craniectomy to ease swelling of the brain and remove skull fragments. Zen spent almost six weeks in a coma and on a respirator. During this time he underwent many surgeries for facial reconstruction and to fit a titanium plate to replace a section of his skull damaged beyond repair. The superior skill of the surgeons, the wonderful care of the nursing staff, the plethora of prayers from around the globe and the unwavering love of Ulyana no doubt kept Zen alive.

Phase two of Zen's recovery had him transferred to the Kessler rehabilitation facility in Chester NJ. There he had to relearn daily living skills, including eating, dressing, walking etc. Again with wonderful help from the amazing staff, and the continued love and support from Ulyana, Zen was making remarkable progress. At this point insurance deemed Zen ready to move on to a less-restrictive rehab center. Zen was transferred to the new facility, but took a fall on his first night there, banging his head which set his remarkable progress on a backwards trajectory. Ulyana discharged her Dad from this facility and moved him to her mother’s home. Currently, Zen requires round-the-clock care. He can walk when aided, can speak and recognize those that are close to him, but he has significant cognitive impairments and memory loss, and will need full time care for the foreseeable future. Due to ongoing health care costs, Ulyana has been forced to put the dream home she shared with her Dad up for sale. Ulyana and her Mom (who herself is battling a serious illness) share night shift duties to care for Zen; a hired health care aide covers the day shift. Ulyana is a practicing pharmacist working 12 hour shifts at a local pharmacy chain. Caring for both parents is, and has been an exhausting and financially draining experience for Ulyana, but she continues to be a loving, caring daughter, who will do whatever it takes to provide compassion and care for the parents she loves.

The Other Fellow First Foundation, a Summit-based charity established to provide emergency relief to local families in crisis, has agreed to provide financial support to this deserving family. But Zen’s needs exceed those resources.

If you are in a position to help please consider donating by clicking the link below.