Isabella Strahan, daughter of Good Morning America anchor Michael Strahan, has rung in a new chapter of her health journey amid her battle with a rare brain cancer.
“It’s my last day of radiation,” the model and USC student said in a YouTube vlog posted Tuesday. “I’m so excited.”
Since breaking the news of her diagnosis with her father on Good Morning America last week, 19-year-old Isabella has launched a series of vlogs documenting her side of her cancer battle. The latest installment, titled “Vlog #3: Ringing the Bell to Celebrate Finishing Radiation,” recalls just that.
The six-minute vlog shows Isabella preparing an outfit for her final radiation session and contemplating what the end of treatment would mean for her. “I’m very excited to finally be done,” she said, before detailing how she dealt with a variety of side effects, including dizziness, over six weeks.
She added: “The world is good.”
Isabella checked in for her appointment at the New York Proton Center, where employees and bystanders cheered her on. With her parents and siblings by her side, Isabella explained how her radiotherapy works and listened to the music of “favorite” artist Bryson Tiller.
The vlog also shows Isabella crying as she takes in applause from loved ones and facility employees upon ending her final session. Isabella then celebrated the recovery milestone with a hearty and ceremonious ringing of the bell, also posing with her radiotherapy mask.
The Strahan family continued its celebrations at a nearby Thai restaurant, where Isabella indulged in pad thai, the vlog shows.
Isabella concluded her latest video recounting the “frustrating” waves of side effects during her treatment. She recorded the vlog the night before her emotional Good Morning America interview with Robin Roberts, also a cancer survivor.
Last week, Isabella recalled the series of events in the fall that led to her cancer diagnosis. In October, she received emergency treatment at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Doctors discovered a “fast-growing, four-centimeter tumor” in the back of Isabella’s head and diagnosed her with medulloblastoma.
The Mayo Clinic defines medulloblastoma as a malignant brain tumor that affects the cerebellum, which is involved in muscle coordination, balance, and movement. Medulloblastoma can affect people at any age, but it is the most common cancerous tumor found in children.
During the interview, Isabella said the next step in her recovery would be chemotherapy, starting in February.
“I’m ready to start, one day closer to being over,” she said.
– by Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times (TNS)
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