Michael Strahan Opens Up About How His Daughter’s Cancer Changed His Life

Isabella Strahan’s cancer diagnosis changed her life forever. It also affected the lives of everyone around her, including her twin sister Sophia Strahan and their dad, Michael Strahan. In a new interview since announcing she became cancer-free, the 20-year-old and the television host opened up about her health and reflected on the journey. The father-daughter duo graced the cover of the latest issue of Town & Country Magazine.

More from CafeMom: Michael Strahan’s Daughter Celebrates Finishing Radiation Treatment: ‘The World Is Good’

She was diagnosed with medulloblastoma.

Just a few weeks into her freshman year at the University of Southern California in late 2023, Isabella was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a type of brain tumor that starts in the cerebellum, according to Mayo Clinic. In July 2024, she announced that she is cancer-free and back at school. She documented her cancer journey in videos shared to her YouTube channel.

She's excited to be back in college.

“I get to start my freshman year again, and I hope I’m there for longer than 50 days this time,” she said.

Michael chimed in, “I can’t wait for her to be back at college and live, to get back to what she was doing before and have fun, sororities, football games. And most of all go to class and get great grades.”

More from CafeMom: Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, Joins TikTok With Emotional Cancer Journey Update

Isabella talked about how much she's grown.

“I feel like I’m 50 years old, with all this life experience,” Isabella shared with the magazine. “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.”

“It was definitely tough and painful to watch that,” Michael jumped in. “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,” he added. “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.”

She's slowly getting back to herself.

Isabella revealed that she has double vision at the time and that her “balance is all over the place.” She’s also trying to gain weight. “I have frozen shakes all the time, and I’m like, ‘Why haven’t I gained 30 pounds?’”

Her dad laughed before adding, “The vision and balance stuff sound like me. Yours is going to come back. I’m getting old. Just wait till you get to the point in your life where you’re like, ‘God, I don’t want to gain any more weight.’”

Michael talked about how his daughter's diagnosis affected him.

“It’s been a crazy year. I think in the long run we’ll figure out a way to benefit from it. The process was a lot scarier than we imagined—seeing her come out of surgery, and all the things she had to learn how to do again,” he said. “You just pray that everything gets back to normal. There were times when we said, ‘We know it’s painful and tough, but it’s temporary.’ 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.”

He believes worry will follow him for the rest of his life.

When asked if he was afraid Isabella was going to die from cancer, he responded, “Yes, as a parent you hear that your kid has cancer and you go, ‘Whoa.’ You have to control your thoughts, because your brain thinks of the worst case scenario, and then you work your way back from there. I don’t think I’ll go through the rest of my life without some worry in some shape or form about this.”

Isabella also struggled with depression but soon realized she had to remain positive. “Yes, there are times, but what are you going to do? It’s not going to help in any way. You’ve just got to get through it,” she told the magazine.

Michael could attest to her optimism. “She said to me, ‘Obviously, I’m going to do all I have to do, because I want to live.’ She expressed everything she was feeling, when she was up and down. She’s also funny and vulnerable. She cries, she’s funny, she’s goofy.”

What's next for her?

Isabella will be getting an MRI every two months to make sure nothing changes in her brain. She’s also eating more healthily and spending a lot more time with her dad.

“I’m happy to be here,” she said. “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.”

As for Michael, he’s holding his family close. “We’ve always been a close family, but this last year has given me some perspective,” he shared. “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. Now I wake up every day and enjoy that day, more so than looking to next week, next month, or next year.”