Why Isabella Strahan Doesn’t Live in Fear After Brain Cancer Journey

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Inside Isabella Strahan’s Inspiring Cancer Battle

Isabella Strahan is taking things 1 measurement astatine a time.

Over a twelvemonth aft being diagnosed with medulloblastoma—a benignant of encephalon cancer—the present 20-year-old girl of Michael Strahan has been crab escaped since July.

With 3 surgeries and four rounds of chemotherapy down her, Isabella has resumed her studies astatine the University of Southern California and is looking towards the aboriginal with optimism.

"Obviously you can't foretell what tin happen, and that is simply a small scary," she told People successful an interview published Jan. 22. "But I don't deliberation you tin solely unrecorded successful fear. I deliberation I should unrecorded each day. Take each opportunity.”

Isabella—who kept followers apprised of her travel connected societal media, including the good, the atrocious and the toughest moments—continued, “I spot the interaction that tin travel from sharing my experience. My diagnosis, it's a portion of me, but it doesn't specify me. I privation to beryllium a voice."

Now her family, including dada Michael arsenic good arsenic her ma Jean Muggli and duplicate sister Sophia Strahan, are speaking to the grace with which Isabella tackled her wellness battle.

For the Good Morning America co-anchor, helium recalls that adjacent erstwhile Isabella, who was diagnosed with crab successful October 2023, was struggling physically amid treatment, “her tone was there.”

“She wasn’t eating much,” Michael explained. “She was bladed and bushed and bald and each the things you hatred to spot your kid spell through/ One of the things she said, astir apt the hardest happening I had to perceive was, 'Dad I’ll bash whatever. I privation to live.’”

Instagram/Isabella Strahan

The erstwhile NFL subordinate continued, “I knew she wouldn’t quit. She was going to fight—and she did.”

Meanwhile Jean, who Isabella says often slept successful the infirmary with her, added of her daughter, “Isabella’s spot and resilience was the aforesaid arsenic it was erstwhile she was a small girl. The mode she handled each time with grace was amazing.”

Sophia, who helped propulsion Isabella astir successful a wheelchair portion she relearned to eat, speech and walk amid her recovery, elaborate the conversations the sisters would have.

“She would accidental to maine ‘I conscionable privation to consciousness normal. Nothing successful my beingness is normal,’” Sophia explained. “Even though thing she went done was a mean experience.”

Instagram/Isabella Strahan

Now, portion Isabella resumes her communications large studies astatine USC, per People, she volition acquisition scans each 3 months for the adjacent 2 to 3 years, and past each six months aft that.

And her household is maintaining her aforesaid consciousness of optimism.

As Michael noted, “Her doctors consciousness precise confident, she’s going to beryllium fine. That’s what we’re going to clasp connected to, but you’re tense each time. That volition ne'er spell distant but arsenic agelong arsenic the results travel backmost positive, past we’ll unrecorded to combat different day.”

For much connected Isabella’s inspiring journey, support reading.

Instagram/Isabella Strahan

Brain Cancer Diagnosis

Isabella Strahan—the girl of erstwhile mates Michael Strahan and Jean Muggli—said she "didn't announcement thing was off" astir her wellness until aboriginal October 2023, erstwhile she started experiencing headaches and nausea.

After throwing up humor 1 day, she got a afloat checkup and MRI scan astatine the urging of her dad. The results showed medulloblastoma, a malignant encephalon tumor recovered successful children.

Later that month, she underwent encephalon country to region the mass.

Instagram / Sophia Strahan

Family Support

Isabella went nationalist with her diagnosis successful a January 2024 interrogation with her dada and ABC News' Robin Roberts.

"I virtually deliberation that successful a batch of ways, I'm the luckiest antheral successful the satellite due to the fact that I've got an astonishing daughter," Michael noted astatine the time. "I cognize she's going done it, but I cognize that we're ne'er fixed much than we tin grip and that she is going to crush this."

Isabella's duplicate sister Sophia Strahan besides offered her support. "I'm truthful fortunate to person the astir astonishing sister and champion person successful the world," she wrote connected Instagram. "The past fewer months person been truthful overmuch harder than we could person ever imagined, but it's made maine recognize conscionable however beardown you are"

Instagram/Sophia Strahan

Radiation Therapy

Following her interview, Isabella shared she had finished her circular of radiation therapy.

"I'm precise excited to yet beryllium done," she said successful a Jan. 16 YouTube video. "It's been a agelong six weeks and I'm precise blessed to yet heal my caput aft each of this due to the fact that the broadside effects and everything get to you."

YouTube/Isabella Strahan

First Chemotherapy Round

Following radiation therapy, Isabella began undergoing chemotherapy to dainty her cancer.

"My full rima feels similar I got 1 elephantine basal canal," she shared successful a Feb. 16 vlog. "Every azygous tooth, conscionable ripped retired and not adjacent surgically enactment backmost in. My jaw hurts, the bottommost of my lingua hurts. It hurts erstwhile I gulp water." 

Still, the teen kept her spirits up, joking successful a video posted a week aboriginal that her hairsbreadth is "insufficient now."

"Besides being bald," she said, "it doesn't bring maine symptom mentally." 

Isabella Strahan/YouTube

Emergency Skull Surgery

Though Isabella was initially scheduled to acquisition her 2nd circular of chemotherapy successful aboriginal March, she underwent exigency country connected her skull—during which doctors drained retired other fluid from her caput and replaced a bony they had primitively chopped retired with a titanium plate—which pushed her chemo back by weeks.

"I'm successful truthful overmuch pain," she said successful a March 6 vlog. "My look is highly puffy, and this sucks. I was successful truthful overmuch symptom earlier. I was, like, screaming."

YouTube/Isabella Strahan

Special Visit

Isabella's dada Michael arranged for her favourite vocalist Bryson Tiller to halt by their New York City location arsenic a pick-me-up amid her treatments successful March.

"You haven't moved this overmuch successful months!" Michael joked to his girl successful her vlog of the visit. "You are fangirling close now."

YouTube

Chemotherapy Round 2

Isabella shared successful a March 21 video that she had started her 2nd circular of chemotherapy, meaning determination was "just 4 more" rounds to go.

YouTube/Isabella Strahan

New Side Effects

Amid her 2nd chemotherapy round, Isabella said she began experiencing difficulties successful walking.

"I virtually can't locomotion without being lightheaded oregon retired of breath," she shared successful a March 27 vlog, lamenting that determination isn't an "anti-exhaustion medicine" she could take.

YouTube

Good News

The YouTuber had a affirmative update aft finishing her 2nd circular of chemotherapy, sharing that she would lone person to acquisition 2 much rounds of alternatively of the primitively scheduled four.

"These are blessed tears," she said successful a video posted April 10. "It's not adjacent considering crying erstwhile it's blessed tears."

YouTube

Roadblock successful Her Journey

However, Isabella deed a bump successful the roadworthy successful her attraction program erstwhile she had to acquisition a 3rd craniotomy. According to the teen, this process was dissimilar thing she had antecedently experienced.

"Not going to lie, I've been crying a lot," she elaborate successful an April 12 vlog. "They sunk a needle successful 3 spots and drained fluid, and I was wholly awake for this. So, my archetypal wholly awake surgery."

YouTube

Third Time's the Charm?

Not truthful much. Detailing the results of her 3rd circular of chemotheraphy, Isabella revealed her appetite was nonexistant. "Last week, it conscionable dropped to zero," Isabella said successful a May 21 video. "So, it's annoying."

And though she was struggling with representation nonaccomplishment arsenic well, she was capable to excavation into the agleam broadside of the experience. "Tomorrow is truly my past time of chemo," Isabella noted, "and past it's my past cycle, and past I'm done. It's insane."

TikTok / Isabella Strahan

A Crowning Achievement

Isabella picked up her crown to observe the extremity of her chemo treatments. "Just finished chemo," she wrote successful a June 8 TikTok video, which she captioned, "Did it."

The timing meant the University of Southern California student—who celebrated by ringing the doorbell aft walking done a confetti parade—could person a spot of a summertime break

"I'm truthful blessed origin I thought I'd beryllium done astatine the extremity of July," she explained. "I was expected to bash six rounds successful total. And past I truly would conscionable person to spell consecutive backmost to school. I'm truthful happy."

Sharing that she had her chemo larboard removed successful a July 17 YouTube vlog, she acknowledged the country was inactive a spot sore. However, she reasoned, "The betterment for this seems to beryllium 4 weeks of not going successful h2o and worldly similar that, conscionable benignant of being careful, and scar care. So not excessively bad." 

Instagram/Isabella Strahan

Officially Cancer Free

Isabella was evidently relieved to person a "great, large scan" aft finishing her chemotherapy, sharing successful a video posted to her YouTube transmission July 18 that "everything was clear. Cancer-free. And everything is great."

Still, she acknowledged, "I miss my doctors already and everyone who's helped. Because they're each truthful nice. I consciousness similar I'm conscionable saddened contiguous knowing that I wasn't gonna beryllium going backmost for a portion 'cause I emotion them truthful much."

Michael Strahan / Instagram

Happiest Place connected Earth

Now that she was officially cancer-free, what other could Isabella bash but spell to Disneyland? Her Super Bowl-winning dada joined her and duplicate sis Sophia to mark their associated 20th birthday a fewer days aboriginal connected Oct. 26. 

The assemblage pupil besides celebrated different cardinal milestone. 

“365 days since my beingness changed tremendously,” she captioned a changeable of herself successful a cap, gown, and mask, lying successful a infirmary furniture connected her Instagram Story. Adding different pic of each the balloons and flowers she received, she added, “Thankful for the advancement I’ve made.”  

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