Holy Cross volleyball player Amanda Mack dead at 20 after being diagnosed with rare disorder
Holy Cross women’s volleyball player junior Amanda Mack died Wednesday night at the age of 20, according to message posted to her Instagram account.
Mack announced in July on Instagram that she had been diagnosed with severe aplastic anemia, a rare condition in which bone marrow does not make enough new blood cells, and had undergone two emergency surgeries “to save my life” due to complications
Doctors lined up a bone marrow transplant and Mack had been admitted to Tampa General on Aug. 11, and she posted a positive message three days later to her Instagram account.
“Finished my Immunosuppressive Therapy yesterday and came through it with minimal adverse reactions! So thankful for my Nurses & Doctors here at Tampa General,” she wrote alongside a photo of her flashing a thumbs up while laying in a hospital. “They are a huge Blessing! Now we wait for my body to fix my immune system and regenerate my bone marrow. I should be able to go home by the end of next week and get to start Physical Therapy and the rest of my healing journey! Thank you to everyone for checking on me and for all the well wishes! You all have made this whole thing a little easier 💕 .”
Mack, who spent her freshman season with Cincinnati before playing for Eastern Kentucky for one campaign and then transferring to the Patriot League school, noted in her July post that several weeks prior she woke up “not feeling good” and suffering from a bad headache.
She passed out and landed in the hospital in what she described as “critical condition.”
“Somehow my body had depleted my blood supply and ability to clot,” she wrote. “I was admitted to the hospital and loaded full of blood and platelet transfusions.”
Doctors worried that she could have Leukemia, but two bone marrow biopsies revealed she had aplastic anemia.
Aplastic anemia “is a condition that happens when your bone marrow stops making enough new blood cells. The condition leaves you tired and more prone to infections and uncontrolled bleeding,” per the Mayo Clinic. “A rare and serious condition, aplastic anemia can develop at any age. It can happen suddenly, or it can come on slowly and worsen over time. It can be mild or severe.”
A doctor told her she suffered from a virus that “caused my immune system to go rogue and start killing my bone marrow,” meaning she could not made the red blood cells she needed.
She added that did not have any immune system.
Once she would be admitted to the hospital, Mack said she would go undergo six rounds of chemotherapy and one of full body radiation, followed by the transplant.
She planned to keep her followers in the loop on her recovery through her Instagram account.
“After I am transplanted, the donor cells will start rebuilding my immune system,” she wrote. “It will take several months to start getting back to where I was before however, I will be back better than ever!
“I am looking forward to new beginnings after transplant and a speedy healing process!
Mack, a native of Bradenton, Fla., starred at IMG Academy in Florida and received a USA Today High School Sports Player of the Year Nominee in 2022, per her Holy Cross bio.
She appeared in two matches for Cincinnati before playing in 29 matches, while starting 26, for Eastern Kentucky last season.
Mack announced in May she would be transferring to Holy Cross, posting a photo on a beach of her in a purple hoodie and holding a school pennant.
“I am so incredibly blessed and excited to announce that I will continue my academic and athletic career at College of the Holy Cross!” she wrote on Instagram. ” I’m so thankful for everyone who has been a part of my journey and I can’t wait for this new opportunity! Go Crusaders!!”
The Instagram account for D1 Training Hardin Valley posted a touching remembrance of Mack.
“Our D1 family is heartbroken by the loss of Amanda Mack,” the account wrote alongside a collage. “Amanda trained with Cory for years, and anyone who shared the gym with her knew the joy and positive energy she brought into it. She approached every session with a phenomenal attitude and left a lasting impact on everyone who knew her.
“Amanda will be deeply missed, forever remembered, and always a part of our D1 family. Please keep Amanda’s family, friends, teammates, and loved ones in your thoughts and prayers.”