What Is a Medulloblastoma? Everything to Know About Michael Strahan’s Daughter Isabella’s Diagnosis

The co-host of the show “Good Morning America” ​​revealed on Thursday that his daughter, 19, was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor known as medulloblastoma

Michael Strahan’s daughter Isabella has been receiving treatment for a malignant brain tumor known as medulloblastoma since October 2023. Good morning America the co-host revealed on Thursday.

Medulloblastoma is a pediatric brain tumor that originates in the cerebellum, which is located at the base of the skull and is responsible for coordination.

“I know she’s going through it, but I know we’re never given more than we can handle and she’s going to break this,” Strahan, 52, told co-star Robin Roberts on the show.

“I literally think I’m the luckiest man in the world in many ways because I have an amazing daughter,” he added.

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Isabella was diagnosed with the condition in October after she began experiencing headaches — which she initially attributed to vertigo — during her freshman year at the University of Southern California.

Isabella Strahan bravely shares her story.

Isabella Strahan/Youtube

“I definitely noticed headaches, nausea, I couldn’t walk straight,” the teenager told Roberts. Her condition worsened on October 25, when she woke up “vomiting blood” in the early hours of the morning. The family encouraged her to seek medical help immediately.

Michael explained further GMA, “That’s when we decided, ‘You really need to get a thorough checkup.’ And thank God for the doctor. I feel like this doctor saved her life.”

Doctors discovered that Isabella had developed a fast-growing 4-centimeter tumor, bigger than a golf ball, in the back of her brain. “It didn’t seem real,” Michael said upon receiving the news.

About 500 children are diagnosed with medulloblastoma each year, according to estimates published in the Journal of Clinical Neuroscience. It accounts for approximately 20% of all childhood brain tumors and, according to the Mayo Clinic, is the most common cancerous brain tumor in children.

According to the Mayo Clinic, medulloblastoma can affect muscle coordination, balance, and movement because of the tumor’s location in the brain.

A fast-growing tumor, medulloblastoma can spread to other areas of the brain and spinal cord through the cerebrospinal fluid. However, medulloblastoma does not usually spread to other parts of the body.

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According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of medulloblastoma can include double vision, headaches, nausea, poor coordination, fatigue, unsteady gait, vomiting, and dizziness.

Making a diagnosis involves a neurological exam that tests vision, hearing, balance, coordination and reflexes.

CT (computed tomography) scans and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans are also used to indicate the size and location of tumors, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Other tests may include tissue sampling or a lumbar puncture, during which fluid is removed from two bones in the lower spine for testing.

The father-daughter duo before her diagnosis. Instagram Isabella Strahan

Treatment for medulloblastoma usually involves surgery followed by radiation or chemotherapy, sometimes both.

Isabella Strahan underwent emergency surgery on October 27, a day before her 19th birthday. The teenager said her memory of her recovery remains hazy and she had to learn to walk again with the help of her twin sister Sophia. She also underwent a month of rehabilitation and several rounds of radiation.

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Later this month, Isabella will also begin chemotherapy at Duke Children’s Hospital & Health Center in Durham, North Carolina.

Speaking about chemotherapy, Isabella told Roberts: “That’s my next step. I’m ready for it to start and to be one day closer to the end.”

As for the future, Isabella continued GMA that the experience gave her a new perspective. “Perspective is a big thing,” she said. “I’m grateful. I’m just grateful that I’m walking or seeing friends or doing something, because when you can’t do something, it really affects you.”

And Michael shares her opinion. “You learn that you’re probably not as strong as you thought you were when you have to really think about the real things, and I realized that I needed everyone’s support,” he said.

“You think, ‘I’m an athlete, a strong guy, you know, I can come and handle it, I’m the father in the family.’ It’s not about any of that. It doesn’t matter. And it really made me change my perspective on so many things in my life.”

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education