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Isabella Strahan has been very brave throughout her battle with brain cancer. Isabella, who is one of Michael Strahan’s twin daughters, has been sharing updates on her cancer treatment since going public with her diagnosis in January 2024. The college student revealed that she discovered that she had a brain tumor weeks after beginning her fall semester at USC.
Most recently, Isabella has revealed that she’s been undergoing chemotherapy, after finishing radiation treatment in January. Find out more about Isabella’s cancer battle here.
Isabella Strahan Diagnosed With Brain Cancer
Isabella went public with her cancer diagnosis in an appearance on GMA on January 11, 2024. At the time, Isabella said she was “feeling good,” and she was trying to be present in the moment. “Not too bad. 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 said.
At the time, Michael spoke about how much support he was throwing behind his daughter. “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 said at the time.
What Is Brain Cancer?
Like other forms of cancer, a brain tumor is a growth of cells that occurs in the brain, according to the Mayo Clinic. They take the form of a brain tumor which forms in the brain tissue. There are many different types of brain tumors, which can be cancerous or noncancerous. Isabella didn’t specify which type of cancer she was diagnosed with.
How Long Has Isabella Been Sick?
Isabella revealed that she had begun to notice that she was having headaches in October 2023, and she was having trouble walking straight. She said that she woke up, vomiting with blood a few weeks later, and it was discovered that she had a brain tumor. She was rushed into emergency surgery before her 19th birthday in December 2023.
How Is Isabella Doing Today?
Isabella completed her radiation on January 16. She got emotional after finishing the treatment in an emotional 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. … So excited to ring that bell… Never thought I’d be ringing the bell,” she said at the time.
Shortly after she finished the treatment, she shared a few photos of herself and her sister enjoying a warm vacation together. A few weeks after finishing her radiation, Isabella revealed that she was gearing up to begin chemotherapy treatment in a February 7 vlog. She revealed that she was having a port placed and undergoing tests before beginning the treatment, admitting that it wasn’t something she was particularly looking forward to. “Not the most fun. I’m distracting myself with cards,” she said in the clip.
Isabella shared how much pain she was in after undergoing chemotherapy in a vlog on February 16. She laid down on a couch and iced her head as she recovered. “My head hurts, I have ice on my head. I feel like I’m having a heart attack,” she said in the clip, via People. “Everything hurts.”
She continued and said that her eyes felt “strained” and her mouth felt like she’d just undergone “one giant root canal.” She said that all of her teeth hurt. “My jaw hurts, the bottom of my tongue hurts. It hurts when I gulp water,” she said. Isabella continued and said that she’d “prefer radiation” after undergoing the surgery.
On February 21, Michael gave an update on Isabella’s condition amid her ongoing treatment. “The last three days have been a little rough because she had a fever that kind of comes and goes,” he told Robin Roberts and George Stephanopoulos on Good Morning America. “I had to take her to the hospital and thought she’d come home a few hours later. … It’s been three days, but hopefully she’ll be home today.” He added that she’s a “tough young lady.”