During Thursday’s episode of Good Morning America, Michael Strahan appeared alongside his daughter Isabella as she made a stunning announcement.
Isabella, 19, is one of Strahan’s four children. She was attending the University of Southern California for her first year and started experiencing headaches that became progressively worse.
During the morning program, she shared that after undergoing various tests, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor.
After weeks of Strahan and his family keeping the matter private, the GMA reveal happened.
As Isabella’s diagnosis and treatment arrived, the popular TV personality missed multiple weeks of GMA for an unspecified “personal family matter.”
However, she bravely decided to share her emotional story on the latest episode of the program, and many viewers showed their support for Strahan and his family after seeing the GMA segment.
Michael Strahan appears with daughter for GMA reveal
GMA anchor Robin Roberts said Isabella reached out to her over the past weekend about sharing her story with others.
“She said, ‘You know what? I’m gonna take control here.’ There’s so many things you can’t control. This she can – her story,” Roberts said when introducing her interview segment.
“I’m very proud of her. She’s always been strong, and this is something that is so personal that I didn’t know if it would be something that she would want to share. I’m extremely proud,” Strahan told Roberts during the interview.
Isabella revealed that she’d been experiencing bad headaches and nausea while away for college in California.
However, she said that on October 25, she woke up in the afternoon and was throwing up blood. A text to her sister resulted in the rest of the family finding out about her situation. Strahan said they decided to get her a more thorough evaluation.
“Thank goodness for this doctor. I feel like this doctor saved her life,” Strahan said, as Isabella had an MRI and was told to get to the hospital.
Once there, she learned she had a fast-growing four-centimeter tumor in the back of her brain. She was diagnosed with Medulloblastoma, which accounts for 20 percent of all childhood brain tumors. It’s most common in children ages 5 to 9.
Isabella had the tumor removed on October 27, just a day before her 19th birthday. Isabella had to learn to walk again following the successful surgery and reportedly has a “foggy” recollection of her early recovery.
However, she gave Roberts a positive update when asked how she is currently.
“I’m doing good. I’m very excited for this process to wrap, but you just have to keep living through the whole thing,” Isabella told Roberts.
GMA viewers show support for Strahan’s daughter
Strahan shared an IG post featuring photos of him and Isabella with a caption indicating they shared her story with Roberts on GMA. He also thanked others for their love and support.
“I love you Isabella and I’m always by your side. To all sending love, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts!!” Strahan wrote.
Strahan received an outpouring of support on his post, which had received over 7,500 comments as of this writing.
“Thank you, Isabella, for sharing such a personal journey,” one commenter wrote, adding, “Thank you, Michael, for letting everyone know that even you need support!”
“Sending prayers and love your way! Sitting here watching and crying. You never know strength until you really need it,” another individual commented.
Another commenter called Isabella a “beautiful, amazing, strong young lady” and said they were “Sending love” her way.
Along with GMA viewers and fans, many of Strahan’s famous friends also stopped by to show their support.
“Sending you both all our love from all the Ramsay’s,” wrote celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay.
“Sending you love and light,” singer Katy Perry commented.
“Prayers and strength to you and your family Mike,” America’s Got Talent host Terry Crews wrote.
Following her surgery, rehabilitation, and radiation treatment on the West Coast, Isabella said she was relocating to the East Coast to undergo chemotherapy treatments. She’s also partnering with Duke’s Children’s Hospital to document her journey in a new YouTube series.