Michael Strahan Shares The ‘Hardest Thing’ He Had To Hear During His Daughter’s Cancer Battle
Michael Strahan is finally on the other side of every parent’s worst nightmare–their child battling a severe illness. The world was touched when the Good Morning America co-anchor shared that his daughter, Isabella had a brain tumor removed at the age of 19. In an exclusive with PEOPLE, Michael opened up about what it was like to go through that trying time as a dad.
“She wasn’t eating much,” Michael told PEOPLE. “She was thin and tired and bald and all the things you hate to see your kid go through.” Still, he added, “Her spirit was there. One of the things she said, probably the hardest thing I had to hear was, ‘Dad I’ll do whatever. I want to live.’”
The 20-year-old was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a rare brain tumor, in October 2023, but didn’t share the news with the world until January 2024.
“I knew she wouldn’t quit,” said the 53-year-old. “She was going to fight — and she did.”
Isabella, now 20, is thankfully cancer-free after undergoing four rounds of treatment.
“I always say she’s a lot stronger than I am,” Strahan boasted of his daughter.
The college student and model began experiencing symptoms in 2023 while on campus at University of Southern California. After experiencing nausea, dizziness intense headaches, the 20-year-old confided in her twin sister Sophia Strahan.
“I was the one who told our parents (Michael and former wife, Jean Muggli) first,” says Sophia, “because Isabella called and said she was throwing up blood.”
Sophia headed to the ER shortly after the symptoms began and was surrounded by her family when the doctor shared her diagnosis. The day after, on October 28, which was Isabella’s 19th birthday, she had brain surgery. During the surgery, medical professionals removed the 4-centimeter tumor, which was said to be between the size of a golf and tennis ball.
Isabella is now back at USC continuing her communications major but will need scans every three months for the next two or three years.
“Her doctors feel very confident, she’s going to be fine,” said Michael. “That’s what we’re going to hold on to, but you’re nervous every time. That will never go away but as long as the results come back positive, then we’ll live to fight another day.”
The family will speak more about their experience overcoming the diagnosis in an upcoming ABC special: Life Interrupted: Isabella Strahan’s Fight to Beat Cancer. The special is set to air on Feb. 5 at 10 p.m. and the next day, Feb. 6 on Disney+ and Hulu.
