Heavy Isabella Strahan's daughter gives an update on her cancer treatment.
Season 32 “Dancing With the Stars” guest judge Michael Strahan has been supporting his daughter following her brain cancer diagnosis. The 20-year-old underwent surgery in 2023 and recently started chemotherapy treatments.
“Everything hurts,” Isabella Strahan said in a vlog shared on YouTube on February 16, 2024.
“My eyes are strained. They hurt to look to the sides. My whole mouth feels like I got one giant root canal of my whole mouth of every single tooth and just ripped out and not even surgically put back in,” she added.
Michael and Isabella Strahan shared her diagnosis on an episode of “Good Morning America” in January 2024.
“I know she’s going through it, but I know that we’re never given more than we can handle and that she is going to crush this,” he told GMA host Robin Roberts at the time.
Here’s what you need to know:
Isabella Strahan Said Chemotherapy Has Been the Worst Part of Her Treatment Thus Far
In her vlog, Isabella Strahan shared that undergoing chemotherapy has been challenging for her.
“This one’s just the longest journey. Just the hardest. I think it just stresses me out because so much could go wrong,” she explained.
“It’s like, ‘Oh, no. My heart hurts. That could mean I’m having a heart attack.’ Or like, my eyes strained, what if my eyes stop working? Or like, what if my teeth just rot and fall out? I don’t know,” she added.
Isabella Strahan has been spending a lot of time at the hospital while undergoing treatments but is back home in between.
“It’s my first time home and I slept in my bed for the first time in a while. Personally, I don’t mind the hospital too much because I feel safe. But I do like being home,” she said in her vlog.
Isabella Strahan Has Kept a Positive Attitude Throughout Treatment
In late 2023, Isabella Strahan was diagnosed with medulloblastoma. The tumor is the most common amongst those found in children.
According to the National Cancer Institute, the 5-year survival rate for medullablastoma is around 71%. A variety of things can affect that percentage, including tumor grade and how the patient responds to treatment.
Her early symptoms, which began in early October 2023, included headaches, nausea, and loss of balance. When she woke up and vomited up blood one morning, she knew that something very serious was going on. She was taken to Cedars-Sinai in California where she underwent tests. Once there was a diagnosis, doctors performed emergency surgery.
From the moment that she found out that she had cancer, Isabella Strahan has done her best to stay positive.
“I’m feeling good. Not too bad,” Isabella Strahan said on “Good Morning America.”
“That’s my next step. I’m ready for it to start and be one day closer to being over. …. 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 added.
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