Michael Strahan's Daughter Undergoes Unexpected Second Brain Surgery
The surgery came just a few months after revealing her diagnosis to the world.
Michael Strahan's daughter, Isabella, is recovering after a second surgery just a few months after announcing her brain tumor diagnosis. The 19-year-old revealed her diagnosis earlier this year in an emotional interview on Good Morning America alongside her dad and interviewed by Robin Roberts. The gutwrenching diagnosis came after a series of headaches, dizziness, and nausea sent her to the doctor. Since coming out with her story, she has documented the ups and downs of her health journey in a vlog series shared on YouTube. She shared the 12th installment on March 6, days after her second surgery.
"They're cutting open my scar from my first surgery, cleaning it, and maybe taking my bone out," she says in the video filmed the morning of the procedure. "They might have to take my bone out again, or they might replace my bone. We'll see. I'm not excited, at all, I'm actually kind of nervous."
Hours later, donning a full head wrap, she gave an update about her recovery, and it wasn't easy. "Hey, vlog, I am in so much pain and my head is wrapped, and my face is extremely puffy, and, um, this sucks," she says. "I was in so much pain earlier, I was like screaming. This is not fun." An area in her skull was cleaned for infection, and a bone was replaced with a titanium plate. In her previous vlog, she revealed that she was hospitalized after a series of fevers followed her first round of chemotherapy.
In her GMA interview, she revealed that she was diagnosed with and is being treated for medulloblastoma, a rare cancerous brain tumor that typically impacts young children. There are fewer than 500 medulloblastoma cases diagnosed each year.
Michael, a former football player, says Isabella is his biggest inspiration. He's proud of her strength during this time.