Isabella Strahan, daughter of Michael Strahan, recently shared a candid update about her battle with brain cancer. In a touching video titled “Vlog 8: Recovering from Chemo at Home” on her YouTube channel, the courageous 20-year-old opened up about the intense pain she is enduring during her treatment.
Describing the pain as excruciating, Isabella likened it to a “heart attack.” She revealed struggling to alleviate her headaches, resorting to using an ice pack on her freshly shaved head for relief. “Everything hurts,” she lamented, highlighting discomfort in her eyes, mouth, and jaw.
“My eyes ache when I move them sideways. My entire mouth feels like I’ve undergone multiple root canals, with all my teeth pulled out and nothing put back in,” Isabella shared. “My jaw is in pain, and even the underside of my tongue hurts when I swallow water.”
Isabella bravely expressed a preference for radiation or brain surgery over chemotherapy due to the severe pain it inflicts. She acknowledged this journey as her longest and toughest, expressing concerns about potential complications during treatment. “I worry: what if my heart starts hurting? What if my eyes stop working? What if my teeth decay and fall out?” she questioned with apprehension.
Despite these immense challenges, Isabella finds solace in being back home and sleeping in her own bed. While she felt secure in the hospital, nothing compares to the comfort of home. The video also captured glimpses from her hospital stay and precious moments shared with her dad, Michael Strahan, and her twin sister, Sophia.
Isabella’s update follows her and Michael Strahan’s revelation of her brain cancer diagnosis on Good Morning America. She recounted how it began with persistent headaches and nausea, symptoms she initially brushed off until one morning when she woke up vomiting blood. Following numerous tests, doctors diagnosed her with medulloblastoma, a malignant brain tumor. Michael Strahan had taken a hiatus from Good Morning America for over three weeks due to “personal family matters,” without divulging specifics at the time.
Despite the uphill battle, Isabella remains resilient. She completed her final round of radiation in January and made the decision to freeze her eggs upon learning of her diagnosis. Our thoughts are with Isabella and her family during this challenging period.
