As his daughter Isabella continues her battle against brain cancer, Michael Strahan is opening up about the rough journey so far.
The Good Morning America co-host revealed during the show that Isabella, 19, has been “fighting through” her treatment after a small setback landed her back in the hospital.
“The last three days have been a little rough because she had a fever that kind of comes and goes,” Michael Strahan explained. “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.”
Despite having to deal with chemotherapy symptoms, Strahan stated Isabela hasn’t faced anything that wasn’t “expected.”
“It is tough to see her go through it,” Michael Strahan continued. “But I know she’s a tough young lady and she’s going to make it through it.”
Strahan further explained it has been helpful for Isabella to document her journey in her YouTube series. Isabella started the series to benefit Duke Children’s Hospital & Health Center.
“I think, for her, so many people have reached out and said, ‘I’m glad you’re doing this,’ ‘Thank you for doing this,’ ‘This has really helped us,’” he noted. “And all that support that she is getting from people she doesn’t know, on top of people that she does know, has kept her in a very positive space,” he said. “So thank you to everybody.”
Last fall, Michael Strahan’s daughter was diagnosed with medulloblastoma. This is a common malignant tumor that grows in the cerebellum.
Michael Strahan’s Daughter First Spoke About Her Cancer Battle Last Month
After Michael Strahan announced her condition on-air, Isabella interviewed on Good Morning America about the situation. She revealed she started experiencing headaches during her freshmen year at the University of Southern California.
“It’s been like, two months of keeping it quiet, which is definitely difficult,” Isabella explained. “I don’t wanna hide it anymore ’cause it’s hard to always keep in. 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.”
Isabella then said that the experience has given her a new outlook on life. Michael Strahan also said he’s seeing life very differently following his daughter’s diagnosis.
“You learn that you’re probably not as strong as you thought you were when you have to really think about the real things,” he said. “And I realized that I need support from everybody.”
“You think, ‘I’m the athlete, the tough guy, you know, I can come and handle, I’m the father in the family.’ It is not about any of that. It doesn’t matter. And it’s really made me change my perspective on so many things in my life.”