DES MOINES, Iowa -- Drake freshman basketball player Mandy
Kappel, who had a benign brain tumor removed this week, has been
moved from intensive care and received a visit from her teammates.
Kappel, of Sioux Falls, S.D., is on track to be released from
Iowa Methodist Medical Center on Christmas Day, Drake coach Lisa
Stone said. Kappel underwent surgery Wednesday, and doctors said
they anticipate a complete cure.
The team visited Thursday, and Stone said Kappel wanted to know
how the last practice before Christmas had gone.
"I think it's a huge weight off everyone's shoulders, with
Christmas coming and knowing Mandy's going to be OK," Stone said.
Kappel was the second Drake player diagnosed with a serious
illness last week.
Sophomore Martha Chaput, from Council Bluffs, will begin
chemotherapy for Hodgkin's disease, a cancer of the lymph system,
after Christmas.
"Our team is very strong," Stone said. "They're going to pull
strength from Mandy and Martha, and Mandy and Martha are going to
pull strength from us. It's all one unit."
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