Michael Strahan opens up about he and daughter, Isabella, went through when she was diagnosed with brain cancer.
In a recent interview, the former NFL star revealed that the past year “a lot scarier” after Isabella was diagnosed in October 2023. He said that he would pray for things to go back to normal while watching his daughter go through three surgeries and multiple rounds of chemotherapy and radiation.
“There were times when we said, ‘We know it’s painful and tough, buut it’s temporary,’” he said. “The last year is one we hope to forget, but at the same time it’s shown us a lot of important things about who she is and about who we are and about how we show up for each other as a family.”
Strahan said that he thought his daughter was going to die after finding out about her diagnosis. “You have to control your thoughts because your brain thinks of the worst-case scenario, and then you work your way back from there,” he said. “I don’t think I’ll go through the rest of my life without some worry in some shape or form about this.”
Throughout this journey, Isabella talked about remaining positive from the very beginning. “What are you going to do? It’s not going to help in any way. You’ve just got to get through it,” she said. “I feel like I’ve grown in many ways. I’m super-grateful for walking and talking again. You don’t think of the things you can do until you live without them.”
Strahan added, “It was definitely tough and painful to watch that. It was like, ‘How soon is it going to come back?’ It was painful for her to get out of bed and move and do those things that are completely necessary for her to do. As a parent, to see that was unsettling at times. But throughout this entire journey, Isabella has inspired and helped us all by how she has approached what she was facing. She has worked so hard, and with such amazing spirit. And she is still on a journey with her vision, balance, and getting her weight back.”
Although her treatments are completed, Isabella still struggles with some health issues. However, she is cancer-free and feels reassurance from her doctors about the disease not coming back.
“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.”