Michael Strahan's daughter Isabella, 19, reveals her brain cancer diagnosis on 'GMA'

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by Stephanie Weber

Michael Strahan's daughter, Isabella, is battling a malignant brain tumor known as medulloblastoma. An MRI scan led to a diagnosis in October 2023.

Medulloblastoma is a cancerous, fast-growing brain tumor that develops in the cerebellum, the back part of the brain where movement and coordination are controlled.

The father and daughter revealed the emotional news during a “Good Morning America” ​​segment with Robin Roberts on Thursday.

“Today my daughter @IsabellaStrahan joined @RobinRoberts and me for an interview about the journey she's had at @GMA,” he wrote via Twitter. Instagram. “I love you Isabella and I am always by your side. To everyone who sends love, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts!!

While sitting down, the USC freshman revealed that she suffers from dizziness, and has gone through “a couple months of keeping it quiet, which has been difficult.”

Isabella indicated that she did not want to “hide” her journey. She underwent brain surgery in late October, followed by six weeks of rehabilitation and radiotherapy. In February, she will begin chemotherapy at Duke University, where her twin sister, Sophia, studies.

“I feel good, not bad. I'm so excited for this whole process to be over, but you just have to keep living every day through the whole thing,” she explained.

The model, who recently launched a campaign with Sephora, is creating a YouTube series documenting her experience, in partnership with Duke Children's Hospital and Health Center.

“Through my platform, I hope to just be a voice and be someone that people who may be going through something similar, or going through chemotherapy or radiation, can just look and hear and see, or just find something interesting about their lives.” “One day,” she said. “I'm just excited about it.”

For his part, Strahan was initially unsure if Isabella wanted to share her story.

“This is a very personal thing,” he told Roberts, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007. “But her idea was, ‘I want to share it and I want to help other people,’ and that gets into the spirit.” Than it always was.”

At one point, when Isabella started to get emotional, her father said: “You're allowed to cry.”

“I know she's going through it, but I know we're never given more than we can handle,” he continued. “She's going to crush this.”

He added: “I know it was difficult, but you continue to live with Isabella.” “We love you. We're here for you, and you've earned this.”

The former athlete watched the pre-recorded interview with Roberts and spoke more about the health concerns in an ABC studio on Thursday.

“It's hard for me to even watch that. You hope your children never go through any kind of pain,” he said. “We're there to make sure she has the love and support she needs. …I'm grateful you allowed her to share her story. … [Robin] I appreciate you making her feel comfortable.

The health news comes after Strahan was mysteriously absent from “GMA” for three weeks. He returned on November 15, but never explained why he stopped at that time.