‘Courageous:' Beloved Coastal Carolina faculty member dies after nearly three-year battle with colon cancer
'Incredibly sad to get the news today that one of the world's brightest lights has gone out,' Benson posted Monday on his X account. '(She) was one of the most courageous & positive people I have ever met.'
Svihla's death comes just days after CCU renamed an academic program after her.
A 2022 GoFundMe page created to help Svihla raised more than $35,000. Svihla herself posted a message to the site on Thursday, announcing that she was ending medical treatment.
' Unfortunately, I have fought all I can fight. After meeting with my doctors we have made the decision to move forward with home hospice care,' she wrote. 'I appreciate your kind and encouraging words more than you know. I ask that you continue to pray for me.'
CCU on Thursday said it was renaming the school's Student Athlete and Development Department in her honor.
Svihla joined CCU in May 2022, and was diagnosed with cancer in October of that year.
'She has impacted so many student athletes, faculty, staff and community members over the years at multiple institutions and has attacked every day with inner strength and optimism despite the fight she has been waging with cancer,' CCU Athletic Director Chance Miller said in a statement. 'She's an inspiration to all of us and represents the best ideals of our university and college athletics.'
Despite her illness, Svihla was a steady presence on campus.
'She took a leave from being on campus for treatment in late 2023 but never skipped a day at work and saw her student-athletes at CCU continue to excel in the classroom,' the school said in a statement.
In January, she moved from academics to create the new student-athlete development and engagement department and launch the Teal Impact initiative, the department's first holistic student-athlete development program. She also helped launch a new event, Hoops & Heels, to coincide with 2025's National Girls and Women in Sports Day. Svihla joined the Coastal staff in May 2022 as Associate AD for student-athlete academic services before being promoted into her current role in January 2025. During her time in academics, she led a department which had 20-straight semesters with a 3.0 GPA.
'One of the world's brightest lights has gone out,' Benson said on X.
* * *
Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12. See more of his work here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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