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On January 11, Michael Strahan and his daughter Isabella, appeared on Good Morning America and talked about Isabella’s battle with cancer.
In an interview with GMA co-anchor Robin Robert, Isabella revealed that she started having headaches during her first semester as a freshman at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and that she was later diagnosed with medulloblastoma in late October.
Isabella remarked,
"I'm feeling good, not too bad. I’m very excited for this whole process to wrap, but you just have to keep living everyday, I think, through the whole thing.”
What happened to Michael Strahan's daughter?
Michael Strahan’s daughter’s symptoms became apparent when she started having "excruciating" headaches and nausea. When Isabella woke up one morning and started vomiting blood, her family persuaded her to go to the doctor even though at first she thought she was experiencing vertigo.
Following an MRI, medical professionals found Isabella had a golf-ball-sized tumor growing in the back of her brain, measuring four centimeters.
Regarding the diagnosis of his daughter, Michael Strahan remarked,
"I don't really remember much. I just remember trying to figure out how to get to [Los Angeles] ASAP. And it just doesn’t feel real. It just didn’t feel real.”
Isabella had emergency surgery to remove the mass the next day, October 27, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre. She underwent multiple rounds of radiation therapy and a month-long recuperation period following her operation.
What is medulloblastoma?
Cleveland Clinic defines medulloblastoma as a malignant brain tumor that originates in the cerebellum, close to the brainstem. The tumor expands quickly and has the potential to spread to other brain and spinal cord regions. Adults are less likely than children to develop medulloblastoma.
The age of the patient, the size of the tumor, and the stage of growth are some of the variables that can affect the symptoms of medulloblastoma. These symptoms could be brought on by a build-up of pressure inside the brain or by the tumor's location.
Some warning symptoms are as follows:
- headaches
- lightheadedness
- vomiting
- tiredness
- balance issues
- changes in vision
- difficulty walking
- back pain
- bowel or urinary incontinence (issues urinating and defecating)
What is Michael Strahan’s daughter planning now?
Isabella will begin treatment at Duke Children's Hospital and Health Centre in Durham, North Carolina, at the beginning of February. She said on GMA,
“That’s my next step. I’m ready for it to start and be one day closer to being over.”
She intends to use her journey as the basis for a new YouTube series that will raise money for the children's hospital. She further added,
“I hope to just kind of be a voice, and be [someone] who maybe [those who] are going through chemotherapy or radiation can look at.”
Michael Strahan, who played 15 seasons with the New York Giants, shares Isabella and Sophia with his second ex-wife, Jean Muggli. In addition, he shares son Michael Jr., 29, and daughter Tanita, 32, with his first wife, Wanda Hutchins.
