Michael Strahan has always been the guy with the big smile—the one who tackles life with the same energy he brought to the football field. But lately, that smile probably feels a little extra special. The reason? Well, his daughter, Isabella, is back at USC, slipping back into college life after months of hospital rooms, treatments, and a fight she never saw coming.

Coming from the most traumatic phase of her life, Isabell’s return to her normal life is praiseworthy, there’s no doubt about that. But if you ask her, she’d probably just shrug it off. I mean, at first, she didn’t notice something was off. But gradually she noticed her inability to walk in a straight line, vertigo-like symptoms, nausea, and throwing up blood. And that’s not all. When she found out about her diagnosis, Isabella underestimated the seriousness of her illness. Yeah, just like that.

During her appearance on Beyond the Battlefront Podcast with Noor Hassan, Isabella Strahan confessed that she didn’t understand how serious her brain surgery was. “I didn’t understand the scope of it. But it basically was just a random, probably like Tuesday. It was like the day before I got diagnosed. Two days before my birthday, I had my surgery the day before my birthday in October.” 

It was in October 2023 Michael Strahan’s then 19-year-old daughter was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a malignant brain tumor that develops in the cerebellum. “I didn’t notice anything was off till probably like October 1. That’s when I definitely noticed headaches, nausea, couldn’t walk straight,” she shared on Good Morning America last month. And when her twin sister, Sophia, found out about her condition, she forced her to visit the doctor.

The doctor advised Michael and his family for a brain surgery as soon as possible. Now picture this: Isabella was at her college in California and about to celebrate her 19th birthday. That’s when she was told she needed surgery—just a day before her 19th birthday. “So this was, I was in college in California, kind of in the fall. So it’s kind of just random, honestly. I just kind of remember being told, not being super scared,” she continued. “I think I cried at first and posted it on my private story. Like posted a photo, brain surgery. And I think that’s it.”

Isabella later described the moments of surreal detachment. Instead of panicking, she found herself laughing and casually posting about her surgery. Because, let’s be real—she herself confessed that she didn’t know how serious her condition was. “Throughout the night when I was in a hospital, I was like have videos kicking my feet and like laughing. I just don’t think I understood how serious it was because I was like, okay, brain surgery.” The kicker?

Well, she at least knew what was wrong with her. And that’s one of the things that brought her a sense of relief. “I was like, okay, I at least know what’s wrong. And then it kind of went from there. Just that the surgery happened and then the rest is like history.” And after multiple surgeries, four rounds of chemo and six weeks of radiation therapy, Isabella Strahan is thankfully a cancer survivor.

Isabella Strahan was given just hours to prepare for surgery

“As a parent, you’re scared. Oh my, you’re just scared.” Michael Strahan said about his daughter’s diagnosis with medulloblastoma. Her doctor even admitted that Isabella was actually in danger of having a seizure, having a stroke, and potentially dying. Her sudden diagnosis brought the whole Strahan family together. Though doctors advised the Strahan family for an immediate surgery to get the tumor removed, but Isabelle found out about her surgery just a few hours before.

During her appearance on Beyond the Battlefront podcast, Noor Hassan asked her about her friends and family’s response when they found out about her cancer diagnosis. “Yeah, so it was really kind of crazy to see how much like this could bring people together,” she said. “Like I know initially when I got my surgery, like literally the next day, less than 24 hours because I think they told me I had to get brain surgery, probably six o’clock. And the next day, my surgery was at like two. Pretty, pretty quick turnaround.”

Throughout her journey while battling cancer, Isabell’s family was by her side. “I think I had like my mom, my sister flew out. My dad flew out. His girlfriend flew out like two of my high school friends who live here,” she added. Her twin sister, Sophia, was the constant support for Isabella. From forcing her to visit the doctor to sharing her condition with parents, Sophia dedicated herself entirely to caring for her sister, like a full-time job.

On the other side, her parents left everything to be with her during the toughest time of her life. She even admitted that her mom, Jean Muggli, used to stay at the hospital. Michael Strahan and his family’s journey and their struggles were recently documented at ABC News’ primetime special- Life Interrupted: Isabella Strahan’s Fight to Beat Cancer.