Michael Strahan’s daughter Isabella opens up on coping with new symptoms while battling brain tumor

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Michael Strahan's daughter Isabella Strahan continues her battle against a brain tumor as she undergoes her second round of chemotherapy.

The 19-year-old's latest installment of her YouTube series posted on Wednesday, March 27, showed her undergoing the second round of chemotherapy at the Duke Children's Hospital & Health Center in Durham, North Carolina.

Isabella Strahan says chemotherapy made her get used to her 'biggest fear'

In the recent vlog, a nurse is seen accessing the chemotherapy port in Isabella's upper stomach and the teenager shared that she is now used to the preparation part for her treatment, according to People.

“I feel like if you told me I’d be doing this back in the summer, I’d be like, ‘Pshh, I hate needles, what?’ This is my biggest fear. I hate needles. But I guess I got used to them," she said.

Isabella who underwent an emergency surgery in October 2023 to remove a large medulloblastoma, a type of malignant tumor found in her cerebellum, said she has been dealing with new symptoms each time she visits the hospital.

Referring to the pain her second craniotomy has caused her, she said, “I feel like every time I come here, I’ve got a different problem. Last time it was my head."

"Now, I literally can’t walk without being lightheaded or out of breath. These are completely opposite of symptoms," she narrated.

"At least when I wanted to cut off my head I could take pain medicine. Now, I can't take anti-exhaustion medicine or something," she detailed.

Isabella Strahan talks about improvements she's made during treatment

As Isabella is maintaining a positive outlook toward her treatment, she shared moments of improvements she has made.

Recalling the day she went to Chik-fil-A and could not eat anything as she felt nauseous at the time, Isabella joked that she is "in the mood for food" and is now eating two full meals a day.

The vlog also sheds light on the model and student's proactive approach to managing chemotherapy side effects.

Demonstrating a technique known as cold therapy in which her hands and feet are submerged in buckets of ice, she said,  "We’re icing my feet. It helps prevent neuropathy because Vincristine, one of the chemo drugs I get, that’s a side effect."

“We’ve got the chemo bags of ice. So I’m gonna put my hands in here for a while," she added.

Cold therapy, applying ice to the hands and feet, is often done to help patients reduce peripheral neuropathy, a set of symptoms caused by chemotherapy drugs that result in the damage of nerves that control the sensations and movements of our feet, legs, hands, and arms, as per the American Cancer Society.