Isabella Strahan's Brain Cancer Journey, in Her Own Words
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Originally appeared on E! Online
Isabella Strahan's ongoing battle with brain cancer has been full of ups and downs, but she has kept her head high through it all.
The 19-year-old daughter of Michael Strahan and Jean Muggli has been approaching her health journey in an inspiring way, often sharing candid updates about her treatments while maintaining a positive attitude. Since her medulloblastoma diagnosis in October, Isabella has experienced unimaginable challenges, but continues to look on the bright side.
Even as she hits a roadblock, the latest involving a third brain surgery, the teen does not falter.
"It's not as bad as my first one," Isabella shared of her craniotomy in an April 12 video on her YouTube channel, which she started as a way to document her cancer battle. "My face is not as puffy as it was last time, but it literally hurts to do anything."
And despite feeling intense discomfort, Isabella keeps her spirits up. In fact, her family says they've been taught the true meaning of resilience and strength just by watching her.
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"I literally think that in a lot of ways, I'm the luckiest man in the world because I've got an amazing daughter," Michael noted in a January interview with ABC News. "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."
It's a sentiment shared by Isabella's twin sister Sophia Strahan. "I'm so lucky to have the most amazing sister and best friend in the world," she wrote on Instagram Jan. 11. "The last few months have been so much harder than we could have ever imagined, but it's made me realize just how strong you are."
She added, "You inspire me and I'm so proud of you. Us forever."
For details on Isabella's health journey in her own words, keep reading.
Brain Cancer Diagnosis
Isabella Strahan—the daughter of former couple Michael Strahan and Jean Muggli—said she "didn't notice anything was off" about her health until early October 2023, when she started experiencing headaches and nausea.
After throwing up blood one day, she got a full checkup and MRI scan at the urging of her dad. The results showed medulloblastoma, a malignant brain tumor found in children.
Later that month, she underwent brain surgery to remove the mass.
Family Support
Isabella went public with her diagnosis in a January 2024 interview with her dad and ABC News' Robin Roberts.
"I literally think that in a lot of ways, I'm the luckiest man in the world because I've got an amazing daughter," Michael noted at the time. "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."
Isabella's twin sister Sophia Strahan also offered her support. "I'm so lucky to have the most amazing sister and best friend in the world," she wrote on Instagram. "The last few months have been so much harder than we could have ever imagined, but it's made me realize just how strong you are"
Radiation Therapy
Following her interview, Isabella shared she had finished her round of radiation therapy.
"I'm very excited to finally be done," she said in a Jan. 16 YouTube video. "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."
First Chemotherapy Round
Following radiation therapy, Isabella began undergoing chemotherapy to treat her cancer.
"My whole mouth feels like I got one giant root canal," she shared in a Feb. 16 vlog. "Every single tooth, just ripped out and not even surgically put back in. My jaw hurts, the bottom of my tongue hurts. It hurts when I gulp water."
Still, the teen kept her spirits up, joking in a video posted a week later that her hair is "insufficient now."
"Besides being bald," she said, "it doesn't bring me pain mentally."
Emergency Skull Surgery
Though Isabella was initially scheduled to undergo her second round of chemotherapy in early March, she underwent emergency surgery on her skull—during which doctors drained out extra fluid from her head and replaced a bone they had originally cut out with a titanium plate—which pushed her chemo back by weeks.
"I'm in so much pain," she said in a March 6 vlog. "My face is extremely puffy, and this sucks. I was in so much pain earlier. I was, like, screaming."
Special Visit
Isabella's dad Michael arranged for her favorite singer Bryson Tiller to stop by their New York City home as a pick-me-up amid her treatments.
"You haven't moved this much in months!" Michael joked to his daughter in her vlog of the visit. "You are fangirling right now."
Chemotherapy Round 2
Isabella shared in a March 21 video that she had started her second round of chemotherapy, meaning there was "just four more" rounds to go.
New Side Effects
Amid her second chemotherapy round, Isabella said she began experiencing difficulties in walking.
"I literally can't walk without being lightheaded or out of breath," she shared in a March 27 vlog, lamenting that there isn't an "anti-exhaustion medicine" she could take.
Good News
The YouTuber had a positive update after finishing her second round of chemotherapy, sharing that she would only have to undergo two more rounds of instead of the originally scheduled four.
"These are happy tears," she said in a video posted April 10. "It's not even considering crying when it's happy tears."
Roadblock in Her Journey
However, Isabella hit a bump in the road in her treatment plan when she had to undergo a third craniotomy. According to the teen, this procedure was unlike anything she had previously experienced.
"Not going to lie, I've been crying a lot," she detailed in an April 12 vlog. "They sunk a needle in three spots and drained fluid, and I was completely awake for this. So, my first completely awake surgery."
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