Amanda Mack, a former Eastern Kentucky University volleyball player, died on Wednesday at the age of 20. The news of her passing was confirmed on Mack's social media.
“It is with incredible sadness that we announce the passing of our beautiful daughter Amanda Elizabeth Mack on 9/16/26 at 9:16 pm. Amanda was a bright light in this world and will be forever loved and missed!,” her parents wrote.
EKU Volleyball mourned Mack's demise and released a statement saying “Former Colonel Amanda Mack passed away on Wednesday. We mourn her loss, but will forever cherish our memories together. The entire EKU community sends our thoughts and prayers to her family, friends and all of her teammates through the years.”
Mack's passing was mourned by Cincinnati Volleyball as well. “Cincinnati Volleyball is heartbroken by the passing of former Bearcat Amanda Mack. Our hearts are with Amanda’s family, friends and teammates,” they wrote.
{{/usCountry}}Mack's passing was mourned by Cincinnati Volleyball as well. “Cincinnati Volleyball is heartbroken by the passing of former Bearcat Amanda Mack. Our hearts are with Amanda’s family, friends and teammates,” they wrote.
{{/usCountry}}Mack, who was from Florida, spent a single season with the Colonels as a sophomore before she moved to Cincinnati. Mack then transferred to Holy Cross for her junior year. Her sudden death has left many devastated.
Amanda Mack cause of death; Severe Aplastic Anemia diagnosis
An official cause of death has not been shared in Amanda Mack's case. However, her demise comes amid a battle with Severe Aplastic Anemia. On July 14, 2026, Mack shared her health struggles on Instagram.
“Not a post I ever thought I would be making. A few weeks ago I woke up not feeling well. A bad headache where I could hear my heartbeat pounding in my head. I ended up passing out and went to the hospital. My hemoglobin was at 4 and my platelets were at 1. I was in critical condition. Somehow my body had depleted my blood supply and ability to clot. I was admitted to the hospital and loaded full of blood and platelet transfusions,” she wrote.
“The Doctors initially thought I had Leukemia as my labs were showing that was a possibility. After a week at one hospital, I was transferred to a higher level of care to Tampa General Cancer Institute. After 2 bone marrow biopsies, they determined I have a rare blood disorder called Severe Aplastic Anemia. While it is technically not cancer, it is in the blood cancer family and treated the same. My hematology/oncology Doctors have said that I recently had a virus that I didn’t know I had and it caused my immune system to go rogue and start killing my bone marrow. I no longer can make red blood cells needed to survive which has also caused my bone marrow to be depleted,” the post added.
Sharing that she had already had two emergency surgeries the week before the post was made, Mack added that a bone marrow transplant was the only recourse for her.
“I am currently in the ICU and had 2 emergency surgeries in the last week to save my life due to severe complications with my Aplastic Anemia. Things can change for me very quickly since I have no immune system any longer. The only cure for Severe Aplastic Anemia is a Bone Marrow Transplant. Thankfully my Doctors have found a donor that appears to be a 100% match for me. They have started the testing with that donor and I am scheduled to be admitted for transplant on 8/11,” she had said, adding “Once admitted I will have 6 rounds of chemotherapy and 1 round of full body radiation and the transplant will follow. After I am transplanted, the donor cells will start rebuilding my immune system. It will take several months to start getting back to where I was before however, I will be back better than ever! I will be documenting my journey to keep everyone updated. I am looking forward to new beginnings after transplant and a speedy healing process!”.
While highlighting the steps ahead in terms of treatment, Mack had appeared confident about making a recovery.
On August 15, she shared a further update “Finished my Immunosuppressive Therapy yesterday and came through it with minimal adverse reactions! So thankful for my Nurses & Doctors here at Tampa General. 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.”
That was her last update as Mack passed away in September.
What is Severe Aplastic Anemia?
Aplastic Anemia is a condition when a person's bone marrow stops making enough new blood cells. This leaves one tired and more prone to infections and uncontrolled bleeding as per Mayo Clinic.
It describes Aplastic Anemia as a rare and serious condition, which can be seen in humans at any age. This condition can happen suddenly, or it can come on slowly and worsen over time. Aplastic Anemia can be mild or severe.
Mayo Clinic also notes that treatment might include medicines, blood transfusions or a stem cell transplant, also known as a bone marrow transplant.