Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is on the mend and eager to return to the campaign trail, according to a statement issued Thursday afternoon by his wife, Jane O'Meara Sanders.

"Bernie is up and about," she said. "Yesterday, he spent much of the day talking with staff about policies, cracking jokes with the nurses and doctors, and speaking with his family on the phone."

The update came a day after Sanders' presidential campaign disclosed that doctors had inserted two stents after finding that he had a blocked artery. The campaign canceled scheduled appearances in California, Iowa and elsewhere as he recuperated in a Las Vegas hospital.

On Thursday, Sanders staffers sent signals that the health scare would not force him out of the race. They reconfirmed that he would take part in a debate scheduled for October 15 in Ohio, and they announced that Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz of San Juan, Puerto Rico, a national co-chair of his campaign, would canvass for him this weekend in New Hampshire.
In her statement, O'Meara Sanders said that "doctors are pleased with his progress, and there has been no need for any additional procedures." She added that her husband would likely be discharged from the Las Vegas-area hospital and take a plane home to Burlington before the end of the weekend.

"He'll take a few days to rest," she said, "but he's ready to get back out there and is looking forward to the October debate.”