Cy’s Place provides home for families of children treated at Mayo

A Rochester couple whose son underwent lengthy cancer treatment at Mayo Clinic is expanding their effort to help families of hospitalized kids find long-term, temporary housing. 

In 2007, Randy and Ree Erickson were living in Williston, N.D., when their young son, Silas, fell ill. Doctors in Williston determined he had cancer, and he was sent to Mayo.

There, doctors found he had Stage 4 cancer. 

Silas, whose nickname was Cy, underwent five rounds of chemotherapy and had surgery, followed by more chemotherapy, surgery and radiation. Randy Erickson said that the family lived in Rochester for months during their son’s treatment. Ultimately, the cancer spread to his lungs and liver. Cy died in late 2007.

Finding a place to stay during their son’s treatment was not a big problem, Randy Erickson said, because they had family in the area. But while watching their own child fight for his life, they learned the type of support families need to help them get through long-term medical treatment and the needs that often go unmet.

Those memories stayed after Silas died, Erickson said, and drove their decision to do something to help.

“Out of our loss,” the Ericksons wrote on their website, “and our desire to be God’s hands and feet, a dream was born: to create a guest home in Rochester where families could find comfort and support during their child’s treatment.”

In late 2011, Erickson said, the couple moved to Rochester and found a home with a basement that could be renovated into a guest apartment. Cy’s Place opened in 2013. Since then, 100 families have lived with them.

One day, he said, the couple got a phone call from someone who had heard what they were doing and wanted to help them get a bigger home. 

With a generous donation, the Ericksons were able to purchase nine acres of land and began making their plans. The location is away from Rochester’s busy downtown and a place where children can have a safe place to play. 

The Ericksons plan to build three duplexes that would have space to house six families, Erickson said. Each of the apartments will be a “home away from home” for a family.

The group involved with the project has grown to include Byron realtor Tracie Fogelson, who now serves on the board of Cy’s Place, which is now a 501(C)3 non-profit. All the plans have been approved by the city, Erickson said, and all that’s left to do is fundraising. 

The Cy’s Place second annual Wagons of Hope event will be held at the Eagle's Club on March 28, 4-7 p.m. To learn more, visit cysplace.org.