Michael Strahan praised his daughter Isabella for staying strong while receiving treatment for her rare brain cancer.
The veteran “Good Morning America” host gave his co-hosts and viewers an update on his daughter’s health, revealing during Wednesday’s broadcast that her experience with chemotherapy has “been a little rough.” Isabella, 19, was diagnosed with medulloblastoma last year.
“She's been going through it, she's been fighting it,” he said, before adding that his daughter, one of his four children, has been fighting a fever that “comes and goes” for the past few days.
He added: “It's hard to see her go through this, but I know she's a strong young woman and she's going to get through it.”
Last month, the former soccer star and his daughter, whom he shares with ex-wife Jean Muggli, broke the news of his cancer diagnosis in a candid interview with Robin Roberts. During the January conversation, Strahan also explained that her daughter's battle with cancer was the cause of her absence from weeks of “GMA” last year.
According to the Mayo Clinic, medulloblastoma is a malignant brain tumor that affects the cerebellum, which is involved in muscle coordination, balance, and movement. Medulloblastoma is the most common cancerous tumor found in children, but it can affect people of any age.
Since revealing her diagnosis, Isabella has kept her fans and other cancer patients informed by posting vlogs on YouTube. Last month, she documented the end of her radiation therapy and said she was excited to start chemotherapy.
“I'm ready to start, one day closer to finishing,” she said at the time.
Documenting her first round of chemotherapy, Isabella's recent videos gave her followers a glimpse into her treatment and detailed its side effects, which range from sore eyes and jaw to headaches. “Everything hurts,” she said.
In a vlog on Wednesday, Isabella opened Valentine's Day greetings and gifts from her fans and shared that her mood had improved. Still, she said her first round of chemotherapy is “one of the worst things” she has ever had to endure.
Strahan told her fellow presenters that Isabella and her family expected the healing journey to be difficult and praised her daughter for maintaining a “great attitude.”
The television personality said Wednesday that she was “doing well” amid her daughter's cancer battle, but last month admitted its emotional toll.
“You learn that you're probably not as strong as you thought when you actually have to think about real things,” he said in January. “I realized that I need everyone's support.”
