WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - 'Once a member of the Tribe, always a member of the Tribe.' It's a mantra, a philosophy through which programs and cultures are born at William and Mary. On Sunday, March 23, the men's tennis program will host 'Tribe for Teddy Day,' to show support for W&M alum, Alex Fish, his family and infant son, Teddy, who has a rare disorder known as Menkes.
“Once a part of the Tribe, always a part of the time: a simple saying, but the men's tennis team hopes to put substance behind it with Tribe for Teddy Day on March 23,” W&M head coach
Peter Daub said. “Alex Fish was a large part of our CAA Championship team in 2005, and both he and his wife, Mary, graduated from W&M. Their first-born child, Teddy, was diagnosed with Menkes, which is a rare and fatal disease of lacking copper in the body.”
Menkes affects 1 in 100,000 newborns each year, and children with the disease show symptoms during infancy and do not live past an early age.
Tribe for Teddy Day will take place at the McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center during the Green and Gold's 10 a.m. match with James Madison. The day is not only to show support for the Fish family, but also to help raise awareness of Menkes. Coffee and danish will be provided at 10 a.m., and the first 100 people receive a Tribe for Teddy t-shirt.
“It is the goal of W&M tennis to make everyone aware of Menkes and how it can affects young children,” Daub said. “We feel this is extremely important because most of our graduates are of an age when going forward in their lives, they will be starting a families. We hope to help in the prevention of Menkes or in allowing for early detection of the disease. That is why we are asking everyone to join us on Tribe for Teddy Day in showing support for Alex, Mary, Teddy and most importantly, to make the awareness of Menkes be paramount in families with young children.”
During his career at W&M from 2001-05, Alex tallied 59 singles wins and 71 doubles victories. As a senior in 2005, he helped the Green and Gold to the Colonial Athletic Association Championship.
