Facing Eviction, Dying Cicero Woman Has One Last Wish
CICERO (CBS) -- A suburban cancer patient, at the end of her life, is about to lose her home.
As she faces eviction, CBS 2's Jim Williams reports, she has one last wish.
Mary Jane Beard gets emotional, recalling the many warm memories living in her Cicero home for the past 27 years.
Now that cancer has spread throughout her body, doctors say she has only weeks to live.
"What I hope happens is I can is stay with my husband in the house and die here," she says, choking back tears.
But the house is in foreclosure.
Mrs. Beard and her husband, who is bed-ridden with MS, could be evicted as soon as April 1.
Judith Mintz is with Unity Hospice, which is providing care for Mrs. Beard in her last days.
"We're going to do everything we can for you," she tells Mrs. Beard.
Mintz hopes Beard will be allowed to stay in her home until she dies.
"Then the family is prepared to move out at that time," Mintz said.
Mrs. Beard's plight actually started five years ago.
There was a fire here at the house. The damage was repaired, but that created a series of problems.
"The value of the building went up, which meant the taxes and the insurance went up, and that made the mortgage payments untenable for this family," said Mintz.
Mary Jane Beard knows her family will lose the house.
She accepts that.
But not now, through the tears, she hopes.
"I don't want that to happen," she said, wiping away tears. "I truly don't want that to happen."
It appears Mrs. Beard may get her wish.
A spokesman for Sheriff Tom Dart tells us the "order of possession" has not yet been filed with his office, so it's likely the eviction is months away.
Also, Sheriff Dart has asked his social worker to reach out to the family immediately.
