Isabella Strahan, the 19-year-old daughter of former NFL star Michael Strahan, recently shared a deeply emotional and triumphant moment with her YouTube vlog audience.
She rang the bell at the New York Proton Center, symbolizing the completion of her last radiation treatment, a significant milestone in her journey battling brain cancer.
Overwhelmed with emotion, tears streamed down Isabella's cheeks as she celebrated this major step in her recovery.
Isabella, a student at the University of Southern California, has been candidly documenting her experience with cancer on her YouTube series.
This series not only serves as a personal chronicle but also aims to benefit Duke Children’s Hospital & Health Center in North Carolina. It is here that Isabella will begin her chemotherapy treatment in February.
“It’s been a long six weeks and I’m very happy to finally heal my head after all of this because the side effects and everything get to you,” she shared with her viewers.
The day marked by the ringing of the bell was a culmination of Isabella's resilience and strength.
Her family, including her twin sister Sophia, was there to support her, bringing flowers and balloons to celebrate this significant achievement. “So excited to ring that bell… Never thought I’d be ringing the bell,” Isabella expressed, visibly moved by the moment.
The celebrations continued with a family lunch at Bua Thai in the Upper East Side, where Isabella enjoyed pad thai, a moment of normalcy and joy amid her challenging journey.
Isabella's struggle with brain cancer first came to light in an emotional interview on Good Morning America with her father, Michael, who is 52.
She revealed that she had undergone emergency surgery in October 2023 to remove a medulloblastoma, a malignant tumor, in her cerebellum.
Following the surgery, Isabella faced a rigorous rehabilitation process that re-taught her how to walk.
Throughout her treatment, she has been open about sharing intimate photos and footage, including moments in the hospital, undergoing radiation, and even celebrating her birthday while unconscious.
One of Isabella's foremost concerns before starting her treatment was her future fertility. She openly discussed the steps she took to preserve her fertility in her vlog. “Since chemo and radiation can affect my fertility, my first step was egg freezing,” she explained.
The process, however, was far from easy for her. “That was not fun for me. At all,” Isabella recalled, alongside Sophia and her father’s girlfriend, Kayla Quick.
Kayla, 33, mentioned how Isabella disliked the hormone shots required for the egg freezing process. Isabella herself admitted her discomfort with needles, a sentiment that many can relate to. “I am not a big needle person,” she said.
“I’ve gotten used to my blood and IVs, but shots? That was rough.” The process involved receiving three shots in her abdomen every day for about a week, a regimen that Isabella described as particularly painful.
The egg retrieval procedure took place on Thanksgiving 2023, adding a layer of complexity to what is typically a family-oriented holiday.
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