It was Friday, May 9. As television reporters delivered live reports in front of the Dolton childhood home of newly elected Pope Leo XIV, one man paid little attention to the media frenzy, continuing to clean out the house next door, owned by his sister.
Yards from Pope Leo XIV’s childhood home at 212 E. 141st Pl., the man didn’t talk to tourists or watch as they took selfies in front of the now-famous house that has captured the imagination of the country and the world. All that mattered was that his two-and-a-half-month cleanup project at the house next door to the Pope’s childhood home was almost done.
That house is where his sister lived for 42 years. It was now clean, empty, and had been given a fresh coat of paint. The homeowner had received devastating news and was moving to a new home where she would live for the rest of her life.
The house was to be sold, but not because the brother was trying to cash in on the excitement of the house being located next to Pope Leo XIV’s home. The family was selling because his sister had recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and it was time for her to leave. And her brother was making it all happen with tourists and reporters literally standing in his way.
The Crusader knows his name, but amid the overwhelming media publicity, the gentleman prefers to be called Jaye for this story. He is a U.S. Army veteran who served in the military for 25 years. Jaye prefers that his sister remain anonymous as well for this story.
Days before the Conclave held in the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City elected Robert Francis Prevost as Pope, Jaye’s sister was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, a terminal disease that slowly eats away at the brain, resulting in memory loss.
While the election of Pope Leo XIV and the discovery of his childhood home in Dolton are historic moments for many, to Jaye, his sister’s diagnosis is the real life-changing moment he will never forget.
“Your health keeps life in perspective,” Jaye said. “My sister’s life is the only thing I’m concerned about right now. Everything else doesn’t matter.”
As the location of the home of Pope Leo XIV ushers in a new era for Dolton, a new chapter has also begun for two siblings faced with devastating news that may also come with a huge blessing. It’s a bittersweet moment for the siblings, but the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. With Pope Leo XIV’s home next door, his sister’s home could well sell to a buyer eager to acquire the childhood home of the global figure who leads 1.4 billion Catholics around the world.
The story begins with Jaye. He lives with his wife in San Antonio, Texas. Born in Chicago, Jaye moved to Texas, where he retired after serving 25 years in the Army. Five of Jaye’s seven siblings are still alive. Two live in Chicago. At 65, Jaye is the second youngest among his siblings.
Two years ago, Jaye’s older sister died from Alzheimer’s. She was 73. Today, Jaye faces a similar challenge in the family.
Armed with wisdom gained from the previous painful experience, Jaye was determined to give his 72-year-old sister, who lives next door to Pope Leo XIV’s childhood home, the best care possible.
While in Texas, Jaye said he often spoke to his sister on the phone and didn’t think anything was wrong.
“We would talk on the phone and everything would seem normal,” Jaye told the Crusader. “She spoke well and that was that.”
Jaye’s sister had been living in the 4-bedroom home for 42 years. For 34 years, she taught in Chicago Public Schools before she retired. She was single most of her life and never married. In recent years, she had a boyfriend, but he died of cancer.
“She took that real hard,” Jaye said. “That’s when my siblings noticed something wrong with her. I would talk to her on the phone, and she would seem fine. But my siblings said, ‘if you’re not here daily, [you won’t notice that] she’s repeating the same thing over and over again. She would always ask, ‘Where are we going again?’”
Last June, Jaye decided to visit his sister to help her clean the house. That’s when Jaye said he began noticing changes in his sister’s behavior and became aware of the challenges she faced living alone.
“So, I’m retired, and I said, you know what? Let me go help my sister out,” Jaye said. “I came here to help her clean things up, and one thing led to another. I realized that her condition was much worse than what was perceived to be.”
Disturbed by his sister’s mental state and her challenges, Jaye said after the trip, he spoke to his wife in Texas before making plans to visit his sister in Dolton again in February to do a thorough cleaning of her home.
Jaye said when he returned to his sister’s house, “She didn’t even remember who I was. She didn’t know my name. But she knew I was friendly. It was a joy just talking to her. She would remember everything in the past, but me and everything else, she doesn’t remember. It didn’t bother me. I just enjoyed the time with her.”
Jaye said his sister needed to downsize. Things she no longer needed were discarded in a dumpster.
But amid the housecleaning, Jaye grew more alarmed by his sister’s declining memory.
“I drove with her one day, and as we were going to the bank, I said, ‘Where are you going?’ She said, ‘The bank.’ I said, ‘Where is it?’ She wasn’t going in the direction she was supposed to be going. And I knew then.”
In early May, after five medical tests, Jaye said his sister was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, which causes dementia. The disease mainly strikes adults 65 years old and older.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, about 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s. The association said the disease has killed more people than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined.
The association said Blacks, like Jaye’s sister, are twice as likely as Whites to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s because of high blood pressure and heart disease, conditions prevalent among African Americans.
After Jaye’s sister was diagnosed with the disease, doctors told Jaye his sister could no longer live by herself, drive, or manage her finances.
For Jaye, the diagnosis meant an extended stay and a painful reminder of his sister who had died of Alzheimer’s only two years before. Jaye said that experience gave him wisdom that is helping him take care of this sister, now struggling with the same disease.
“The signs are there. Oh, my goodness,” Jaye said. “The signs are there. We went through this with our older sister. We know. We know when it’s time. She would not get lost, but she would go out of her way. She’s been here most of her adult life, but sometimes she doesn’t know where she’s going.”
As Jaye and his siblings continue to make plans to relocate his sister, Jaye said his entire family, including two nieces, has been “phenomenal” during the process.
“I have to stay focused. I’ve been here for over three months. My wife in Texas is not upset. She’s in the medical field, so she understands.”
Jaye said the work required to put the house in good condition is worth it. He said his sister sacrificed to take care of their mother and father in their last years on earth.
“She’s been the foundation since our mother and father passed away. Now she needs help. So, I stepped up to the plate,” Jaye said.
Perhaps the biggest change for Jaye and his sister after the Alzheimer’s diagnosis was to put the house on the market after giving it a thorough cleaning.
Days after his sister’s diagnosis, Jaye watched the news. Pope Leo XIV became the first American Pope in history, and tourists across the country flocked to the community to view his childhood home, yes, the house next door to his sister’s.
“I saw all these reporters come out. And one reporter asked how did I feel about the Pope being elected. I said, ‘I didn’t know that the Cardinals had come to an agreement.’ Then, she said the Pope once lived next door. I said, ‘Wow.’”
One of Jaye’s nieces is a realtor who’s helping him sell the house. A cost analysis of the home is underway, and Jaye is optimistic the house will sell well because of the famous house next door.
The owners of Pope Leo XIV’s childhood house wanted $199,000 but took it off the market after they received a string of offers following his historic election.
It’s uncertain how much Jaye’s sister’s house will fetch. He gave a Crusader journalist a tour of the two-story house, built in 1949. It has 4 bedrooms and its original wooden floors.
“All the electrical wiring has been checked by a master mechanic. She has new fixtures too. It’s pretty good,” Jaye said.
“The bones of it are in excellent condition. So, whoever gets it, they’re going to get a good deal. My sister and I, the way we were raised, took care of everything we owned. I just want it to go to someone who’s going to take care of it.”
For caregivers, the most painful aspect of Alzheimer’s is seeing loved ones suffer for years before they die.