She was a healthy college student, until one day she started vomiting blood. Now, she is fighting for her life, and inspiring millions with her courage and positivity.
This is the story of Isabella Strahan, the 19-year-old daughter of Good Morning America anchor and former NFL player Michael Strahan, who was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer, in October 2023.
In an emotional interview with GMA’s Robin Roberts, Michael and Isabella shared their journey of fear, hope, and love, as they faced the biggest challenge of their lives.
“I’m very proud of her and she’s always been strong and this is something that is so personal that I didn’t know if it would be something that she’d want to share,” Michael said.
But Isabella, who is a student at the University of Southern California, decided to tell her own story, in hopes of raising awareness and helping others who are going through similar situations.
Isabella said her symptoms started in September, when she began experiencing extreme headaches, nausea, and an inability to walk straight. She thought she had vertigo, but things took a turn for the worse in late October, when she began vomiting blood. She texted her twin sister Sophia, who alerted the rest of the family. Michael rushed her to the doctor, where an MRI revealed a four centimeter tumor in her brain, larger than a golf ball. She had an emergency surgery to remove the tumor the next day.
“It was the scariest moment of my life,” Isabella said.
But Isabella did not give up. She underwent 30 sessions of radiation, and will start chemotherapy at Duke University in February. She also had to relearn how to walk, after spending a month in rehabilitation.
Now, she says she is feeling good, and looking forward to the future.
“I’m very excited for this whole process to wrap, but you just have to keep living every day, I think, through the whole thing,” she said.
She also started a YouTube channel, where she documents her journey through vlogs, or video blogs said she wants to be “a voice and be a person people who maybe are going through chemotherapy or radiation can look at and find something interesting about their day.” She donates the proceeds from her content to Duke’s Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center, where she receives her treatment.
It’s been like two months of keeping it quiet, which is definitely difficult,” Isabella said. “But I think it’s important to share, because you never know who you might help or inspire.”
Michael said the experience has changed his perspective on his own life, and has highlighted the importance of support. He thanked his co-hosts, his friends, and his fans for their prayers and messages of encouragement.
Isabella said. “I’m grateful just to walk or see friends or do something, cause when you can’t do something, it really impacts you.”
Michael said he feels blessed to have Isabella as his daughter, and that he admires her strength and positivity.
“I literally think that, in a lot of ways, I’m the luckiest man in the world because I got an amazing daughter, and I know she’s going through it, but I know that we’re never given more than we can handle, and that she is gonna crush this,” he said. He added: “I need her. I don’t know what I would do without her.”
For now, Isabella said she is looking forward to getting back to California and continuing her college education. She said she wants to study psychology and help other people who are struggling with mental health issues.
She also had a message for anyone who is facing a difficult situation:
“Don’t give up. You can do anything you set your mind to. And always remember, you are not alone.”
