Fisher Parent Named Teddi Dance for Love Honorary Chair

January 20, 2020

The committee of St. John Fisher College students planning the 2020 Teddi Dance for Love will honor a Fisher parent at the annual 24-hour dance-a-thon to benefit Camp Good Days and Special Times.

Kyle Link with his mom, AnneMarie, who will serve as honorary chair at the 2020 Teddi Dance for Love.

The committee and Camp Good Days selected AnnMarie Link, Rochester native and mother of Fisher junior Kyle Link, to serve as the event’s honorary chair, helping the campus raise money for a cause close to her heart.

The Link family understands, first-hand, the positive impact Camp Good Days has for children battling cancer. When Kyle was just a year old, he lost both of his kidneys to cancer. He underwent critical care and dialysis treatments at Golisano Children’s Hospital until he was healthy enough to sustain a kidney transplant at Boston’s Children’s Hospital, all the while receiving support from organizations like Camp Good Days.

“Thanks to Camp Good Days, I truly felt like I had a childhood outside of the hospital bed,” said Kyle, recalling a ride in a hot air balloon, driving a race car, and serving as an honorary coach at the Courage Bowl, which the Fisher football team has played in for 15 years. “It was one event that had an immeasurable impact on my life. It allowed a kid who couldn’t play sports growing up to really feel like a part of a team and truly have a sense of belonging.”

From that day playing on the football field more a decade ago, Kyle knew he was destined to study at Fisher. Now in his third year as a finance major, he is proud to be an integral part of the Teddi Dance for Love as an outreach captain, carrying on the legacy of giving back that he learned from his mother.

“Giving back is a staple in her life and she has instilled in me the mindset to best appreciate the life I was given by helping those who have supported me on my special journey,” he said.

As honorary chair, AnnMarie will help the Teddi Committee celebrate the week leading up to the dance, serving as a co-host of the Very Beary Brunch on Tuesday, Feb. 4. She will also offer encouragement to Kyle and his fellow classmates during the fundraiser. Members of the Teddi Committee, led this year by Chair Tyler Adams ’20 and Vice Chair Emily Trotman ’21, are thrilled to have such a strong ambassador cheering on the 400 or more dancers, sparking excitement and energy throughout the night.

“AnnMarie has been involved with Camp Good Days and Special Times since 2001 when Kyle was originally diagnosed with cancer. When he was strong enough for transplant surgery at age four, his father Larry selflessly donated one of his own kidneys. The family continues to be involved with Camp and Teddi; Kyle has taken an active give-back role as captain of a Teddi team, helping families in similar situations as they once were,” said Adams. “Honoring AnnMarie is a little thing that we can do to show our gratitude for her dedication to Teddi and Camp. She has been a relentless advocate and true example to those around her. We’d like to show our thanks by honoring her for being a super woman and awesome mother.”