How Michael Strahan's Daughter Isabella Is Preparing for Cancer Chemo
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Originally appeared on E! Online
Isabella Strahan has embarked on the next chapter of her health journey.
The 19-year-old daughter of Michael Strahan—who was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in October—detailed her preparations for her upcoming round of chemotherapy treatment. In a Feb. 7 YouTube vlog, Isabella shared a raw look into the process, which included undergoing surgery to have a chemo port implanted on her chest.
"I'm getting my port placed today, which is a device that goes on your chest for administering chemo, getting my blood drawn, all that fun stuff," she sarcastically quipped from her hospital bed. "I'm not excited."
But first, Isabella needed to get an IV and admitted that it's "something I don't want to do."
"I'm gonna take a deep breath in," she said, as a nurse prepared her arm for the needle, "because one time I did that, and it didn't really hurt."
Unfortunately, Isabella's IV didn't stay in and the medical staff had to bring in an ultrasound to locate a stronger vein. But despite the hiccup, the teen kept her spirits high.
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"Take two," she said with a smile, before joking with a nurse, "Oh, that's a large needle!"
However, the preparations didn't stop there. As Isabella explained elsewhere in her vlog, "I'm waiting for a kidney test."
"Busy day," she continued. "They just put radioactive dye in my body and then I have a blood draw, and then an EKG, then I have another blood draw, then I have an MRI."
Isabella added, "Not the most fun."
Isabella's latest hospital visit comes nearly one month after finishing radiation therapy for brain cancer. In a Jan. 16 YouTube video, she documented her last day of treatment, saying, "It's been a long six weeks, and I'm very happy to finally heal my head after all of this because the side effects and everything get to you."
"You can feel great one day and then horrible the next," Isabella shared at the time. "It's frustrating but it is what it is. You can't really control how you feel."
But Isabella has a strong support system behind her. As her dad Michael previously shared, he believes she is "going to crush" her treatment.
"I literally think that in a lot of ways, I'm the luckiest man in the world because I've got an amazing daughter," the Good Morning America host told ABC News in January. "I know she's going through it, but I know that we're never given more than we can handle."
For more about the Strahan family tree, keep reading.
<p>Daughter Tanita Strahan, Son Michael Strahan Jr. with Ex-Wife Wanda Hutchins</p>
Michael Strahan married Wanda Hutchins in 1992, months before going No. 40 to the New York Giants in the 1993 NFL Draft.
Daughter Tanitha was born Nov. 10, 1991, and son Michael Jr. arrived Sept. 12, 1994.
Wanda and Michael divorced in 1996 and Michael Jr. and Tanita primarily lived in Germany with their mother.
"But from day one, it was very important for me to be active, to be a part of their life,” Michael recalled to People in 2016. "I was constantly on planes and phones. And it’s very hard...But one thing I learned is, you make time for what you want to make time for."
Still, the Super Bowl winner has admitted to some regrets from his days as a young father.
"I didn't know what my future was gonna be," Michael told Brooke Shields on an August 2023, episode of her podcast What Now? "I knew I'd work hard. I knew that if I had an opportunity, I would do my best at it. But it was still tough."
He was "so young," the Pro Football Hall of Famer continued, "and having kids and having all the responsibilities, I do look back, and I do wish I did a lot of things better as far as being a parent because I felt like there was so many times I should've probably sacrificed certain things in order to be a little bit more present."
That being said, Michael continued, "then there are times I've looked back, and I think in order to have the life that I've been able to provide and give them, I had to sacrifice a lot of things."
Michael Jr. and Tanita eventually moved back to the U.S. and attended high school in their father's native Houston, according to People, then studied psychology and art, respectively, in college.
Tanita is "kind of like me in the sense that she has a very strong personality, but a silent strong personality," Michael told New York Family in 2012. "She’s not going to be one to walk into a room and make it all about her. She definitely has an opinion and she’s very smart and she knows what she wants, which I love about her."
He called Michael Jr. a "very smart" and "very particular young man."
Ultimately, Michael said, "I have great kids, and they’re not the kind who look at my life and say 'Daddy's this' and 'Daddy’s that.' My kids are interested in making their own way. They have their own personalities and do their own thing. I'm happy to see that."
Tanita graduated from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in 2014 and, according to her Instagram, is living and working as an illustrator in Los Angeles.
"What an incredible woman she’s become," mom Wanda wrote of her daughter on Instagram in 2018. "It’s been an absolute privilege to walk the path to adulthood and beyond with her. Creative, determined, and most of all kind."
On Michael Jr.'s birthday that same year, Wanda wrote, "His sarcastic humor, intelligence, discipline, and kindness inspire me."
<p>Ex-Wife Jean Muggli</p>
Michael met second wife Jean at a New York spa, where she was working at the time.
They married in 1999 and—as the New York Times reported in 2006 when they were in the middle of an acrimonious divorce—signed a prenuptial agreement that set aside 20 percent of Michael's earnings per year to go to Jean should they break up.
The defensive end signed a seven-year, $46 million contract with the Giants in 2002.
“Personally, getting divorced is probably one of the toughest things I’ve ever gone through," Michael recalled to People in 2016, "but it was also a learning experience and I learned a lot about myself and I learned a lot about a lot of the people who were around at that time and some aren’t around anymore."
<p>Twins Isabella Strahan and Sophia Strahan with Ex-Wife Jean Mugglie</p>
On a sunnier note, Michael and Jean welcomed twin daughters Isabella and Sophia on Oct. 28, 2004.
Isabella, who's slightly older, is "more playful, very chill, never gets very upset or fired up," Michael told New York Family. "She’s very, 'It is what it is.'"
And Sophia as "always asking questions, very curious. They’re both very smart; they love to read all these things I never thought of reading when I was 7 or 8 years old. And they do it because they’re generally interested in it, which is amazing to me."
"My kids have a different upbringing than I had, but the love is the same," Michael told People in 2016, explaining how he and Jean had been co-parenting in the 10 years since finalizing their divorce. "The belief in them is the same."
It turned out that Isabella and Sophia, who lived part time with their mom in North Dakota and North Carolina, had inherited the good-on-camera gene from their father.
“The twins live a crazy life," Michael told People in 2016. "One time they flew out to D.C. and interviewed the first lady for GMA. Then the next day their mom was sending me a video of them riding horses and splashing around in a muddy corn field."
During the school year, "I get on a plane, and I fly to see my kids," he continued. "And whenever they get a break, they come to New York. The hardest part is when they leave—the energy in the house is not the same...They’re not the first kids and I’m not the first adult to deal with it, but we’ve all handled it as well as we can."
"You worry how the kids will mix and blend," Michael told People, "but brothers and sisters are brothers and sisters regardless of different mothers."
"My kids give me strength,” Michael said. "I love being with the kids. To me it’s all about family, now more than anything."
Sophia finished up at NYC's Trinity School in May 2023 and then it was on to Duke University in Durham, N.C.
"You are intelligent, beautiful, and I can’t wait to see all of the amazing things you are going to accomplish at Duke," the Blue Devil's dad wrote on Instagram.
The fam celebrated Isabella's graduation from Convent of the Sacred Heart in June 2023 and Michael cheered the future Trojan on her acceptance to University of Southern California.
"Intelligent, beautiful, and hard-working!!" he posted on Instagram. "I can’t wait to continue to watch you shine!! Love you!"
In January 2024, Isabella shared—her dad by her side—that she was undergoing treatment for brain cancer, having been diagnosed with a tumor known as a medulloblastoma the previous October.
Having had surgery and radiation, she still had chemotherapy ahead of her. But, Isabella said in a sit-down with Good Morning America's Robin Roberts, "I'm looking forward to getting back to college and moving back to California and just starting my school experience over. Not over, but just restarting, being back into a routine and something that's enjoyable."
<p>Ex-Fiancée Nicole Murphy</p>
After getting together in 2007, Michael spent five years engaged to Nicole—who shares five kids with ex-husband Eddie Murphy—before they went their separate ways in 2014.
Michael's rep said at the time, "They love each other very much, but with the distance and work schedule it has been hard to maintain the relationship."
<p>Girlfriend Kayla Quick</p>
Michael has been in a relationship with Kayla, a University of Tampa alum and co-founder of wellness supplement brand FIZZNESS, since 2015.
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