Coach doesn't let chemo keep him from practice

He's been coaching cross country at the same school for nearly two decades and has been crowned coach of the year a whopping six times. But Kris Keppel's students say it's the personal impact he makes on those around him that sets him apart.

Last year, Keppel helped Steven Barnabei, a fellow runner, beat brain cancer. "He was just there emotionally," says Barnabei. "Part of my mentality was I had to get better and I had to do it with friends. He was a big friend in that." Watch the video above to hear other heartwarming testimonials from Keppel's athletes.

Keppel is now fighting his own battle with cancer. He had surgery to remove it, but doctors told him the cancer is back and has progressed. But despite his weight loss and thinning hair, the beloved coach shows up every day to practice. He even schedules his chemotherapy around the runner's camps and events.

"He's so inspirational," says one of his athletes. "Every day at practice he has a positive attitude. He's always there. He never messes around. When he comes to coach he's all in. He's always giving us words of advice, cheering us on, making us better runners and definitely (has) a positive attitude all the time."

That positive attitude is something Karen DeHaas, a fellow coach of Keppel's, says may just save his life.

"He's in Stage 4 cancer," says DeHaas. "But just recently he said, 'I'm not thinking about anything but being a miracle. I am going to beat this. I am going to survive this.'"

Here at the USA TODAY network, not only do we want to provide you with the current events of the day, but also a little dose of inspiration while you're getting your news fix. Inspiration Nation is our way of providing you with that jolt of good news to bring a smile to your day.