Isabella Strahan Grateful to Be Walking & Talking After Cancer Battle

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Isabella Strahan Shows Off Stunning New Hair Growth After Completing Chemotherapy

Isabella Strahan is embracing a new chapter.

The 20-year-old daughter of Good Morning America anchor Michael Strahan celebrated regaining her mobility, after losing it during her 2023 cancer battle.  

“I feel like I’ve grown in many ways,” Isabella told Town and Country in an interview published Oct. 29. “I’m super-­grateful for walking and talking again. You don’t think of the things you can do until you live without them.”

Isabella was diagnosed with medulloblastoma—a malignant brain tumor—in October 2023 and had to undergo chemotherapy, and multiple surgeries. As a result, the model had to regain her ability to walk and talk. Still, she’s dealing with double vision, and recouping the weight that she lost because of her illness. But she’s still optimistic.

“My doctors have told me they don’t think it will recur, which is very reassuring,” Isabella said. “I’m happy to be here. I think this year has made me stronger. The people in your life are what makes it enjoyable. Now I don’t say no to anything. I don’t think, I’ll do it next week. You don’t know what next week will look like.”

Isabella’s diagnosis and journey put things in perspective for her father as well.

“We’ve always been a close family, but this last year has given me some perspective. At the end of the day the most important thing is your kids, your family, your mom, your father, your other loved ones—and just to hold them close to you, and your friends as well,” the former NFL star told Town and Country. “Now I wake up every day and enjoy that day, more so than looking to next week, next month, or next year.”

Isabella put her family’s love and support on display as she and twin sister Sophie Strahan  celebrated their 20th birthday alongside their father and mother, Jean Muggli at Disneyland.

In a TikTok shared by Isabella on Oct. 28, she and her guests rocked Mickey Mouse ears as they take a limo to the Happiest Place on Earth.

While cruising with her squad, Isabella proudly sang, “It’s my birthday!”

For more on Isabella’s cancer journey, keep reading...

Instagram/Isabella Strahan

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.

Instagram / Sophia Strahan

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"

Instagram/Sophia Strahan

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."

YouTube/Isabella Strahan

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." 

Isabella Strahan/YouTube

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."

YouTube/Isabella Strahan

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."

YouTube

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.

YouTube/Isabella Strahan

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.

YouTube

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."

YouTube

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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