Alabama Governor Kay Ivey has been released from hospital after undergoing a procedure to remove fluid pressing against her lung. The 81-year-old Republican spent two nights at a Montgomery hospital and is now recovering at the Governor's Mansion.
Ivey will work from the residence and is expected to return to her Capitol office next week. Her spokesperson, Gina Maiola, expressed the governor's gratitude for the public's support, stating: “The governor is also extremely grateful to the people of Alabama for their outpouring of support. She is thankful for their prayers and enjoyed their many messages of well-wishes.”
The procedure was announced on Tuesday after Ivey visited her doctor due to discomfort in her left side and recent shortness of breath. The cause of the fluid build-up has not been disclosed.
In 2019, Ivey revealed she was undergoing radiation treatment for lung cancer, which she described as a small localised spot. Her office confirmed in 2020 that scans showed the treatment was successful and she was disease-free.
