Michael Strahan, the renowned former NFL player and co-host of “Good Morning America”, and his 19-year-old daughter Isabella recently shared a deeply personal revelation on the show. Isabella has been diagnosed with a brain tumor, specifically medulloblastoma, a rare type of cancer that primarily affects children.
In an interview with Michael’s co-anchor, Robin Roberts, they detailed that the diagnosis was made in late October. Since then, Isabella has undergone emergency surgery and radiation treatment. She opened up about the challenges of keeping her condition private for two months and her decision to come forward. “It’s been, like, two months of keeping it quiet, which is definitely difficult,” she explained. “I don’t wanna hide it anymore ‘cause it’s hard to always keep in.”
Isabella began experiencing symptoms, including headaches and nausea, at the start of her freshman year at the University of Southern California. Initially suspecting vertigo, her condition took a serious turn on October 25 when she vomited blood. A subsequent medical examination at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles revealed a 4-centimeter tumor in the back of her brain.
Following her surgery on October 27, a day before her 19th birthday, Isabella underwent a month of rehabilitation. She has recently completed proton therapy, a form of radiation treatment. “I got to ring the bell yesterday,” she shared on “Good Morning America”, referring to a tradition signifying the end of cancer treatment.
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, up to 75% of children with medulloblastoma can survive into adulthood with a combination of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Isabella’s journey highlights the importance of awareness and support in dealing with such diagnoses.
