Since October of 2023, Isabella Strahan, the daughter of Michael Strahan, has been receiving therapy for a malignant brain tumor that is often referred to as medulloblastoma. Medulloblastoma is a kind of cancerous tumor that is found in the region of the brain that is responsible for regulating movement and coordination capabilities.
On Thursday, soon after the 19-year-old disclosed her illness to the general world, her twin sister Sophia uploaded a series of images of the two of them on Instagram. In the posts, Sophia lauded Isabella’s resilience during the challenging times she has been going through with her health.
The photo was captioned by Sophia with the following: “I am so fortunate to have the most incredible sister and best friend in the entire world.” In spite of the fact that the last several months have been far more challenging than we could have ever expected, I have come to appreciate how resilient you are. You are an inspiration to me, and I am very proud of you. For all eternity đ”
Isabella responded by saying, “Best sister â€ïž.”
The first time Isabella disclosed her illness was during a program on Good Morning America, when she was accompanied by her father. As a student at the University of Southern California, she began getting headaches, which she originally ascribed to vertigo. In October, she was given a diagnosis of the disease, which she had been experiencing since the beginning of her freshman year.
The adolescent described her symptoms to Robin Roberts, saying, “I definitely noticed headaches, nausea, and couldn’t walk straight.” Her health deteriorated on October 25 when she awoke in the wee hours of the morning “throwing up blood.” This was the moment when her condition took a turn for the worst. She was strongly pushed by her family to seek medical assistance as soon as possible.
When Isabella was examined by medical professionals, they found that she had acquired a tumor in the back of her brain that was four centimeters in size and bigger than a golf ball. On October 27, a day before she would have been 19 years old, she was diagnosed with a mass that required immediate surgical removal at Cedars-Sinai.
Following the completion of her surgical procedure, Isabella was subjected to a month of rehabilitation in addition to experiencing many rounds of radiation therapy. “I got to ring the bell yesterday,” she informed Roberts, who had survived cancer and was 63 years old. “It was wonderful… Due to the fact that it had been thirty sessions and six weeks had passed, it was really excited.
Isabella said that Sophia stayed at her side during the whole process, assisting her in regaining the ability to walk. In order to raise money for Duke Children’s Hospital & Health Center, she has just begun a new YouTube series in which she will continue to record her journey.
The fact that it has been kept hidden for what seems like two months is something that is absolutely challenging. On Good Morning America, Isabella said, “I don’t want to hide it anymore because it’s hard to always keep it in as a secret.” “I hope to just kind of be a voice, and be [someone] who maybe [those who] are going through chemotherapy or radiation can look at.”