Isabella Strahan, daughter of “Good Morning America” host Michael Strahan, has begun a new chapter in 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, Isabella, 19, has released a series of vlogs documenting her side of her battle with cancer. The latest installment, titled “Vlog #3: Ringing the Bell to Celebrate the End of Radiation,” remembers just that.
The six-minute vlog shows Isabella preparing a suit for her final radiation session and contemplating what the end of treatment would mean for her. “I'm so excited to finally be done,” she said, before detailing how she dealt with a variety of side effects, including dizziness, for six weeks.
And he added: “The world is good.”
Isabella checked in for her appointment at New York's Proton Center, where employees and passersby cheered her on. With her parents and siblings at her side, Isabella explained how her radiation therapy works and listened to music by “her favorite” artist Bryson Tiller.
The vlog also shows Isabella crying as she receives applause from her loved ones and facility employees at the end of her final session. Isabella then celebrated the recovery milestone with a cordial and ceremonious ringing of the bell, also posing with her radiotherapy mask.
The Strahan family continued their celebrations at a nearby Thai restaurant, where Isabella enjoyed pad Thai, the vlog shows.
Isabella concluded her latest video by recounting the “frustrating” waves of side effects during her treatment. She recorded the vlog the night before her emotional interview on “Good Morning America” with fellow cancer survivor Robin Roberts.
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 “rapidly growing four-centimetre tumor” on 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 of any age, but it is the most common cancerous tumor found in children.
During the interview, Isabella said that the next step in her recovery would be chemotherapy, starting in February.
“I'm ready to start, one day closer to finishing,” she said.
