Michael Strahan says daughter's cancer diagnosis was 'every parent's worst nightmare'
"As a parent, you're scared. Oh my, you're just scared," the father of four and "Good Morning America" co-anchor says in the new ABC special "Life Interrupted: Isabella Strahan's Fight to Beat Cancer," a preview of which aired Thursday on "GMA."
Strahan learned in October 2023 that his then-19-year-old daughter Isabella Strahan had been diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a malignant brain tumor that develops in the cerebellum, or the back of the brain where movement and coordination are controlled.
Isabella Strahan, now 20, is sharing her health journey in the upcoming ABC documentary, which airs Feb. 5.
After undergoing chemotherapy, radiation and two brain surgeries, Isabella Strahan was declared cancer-free by her doctors in July 2024.
In "Life Interrupted," Michael Strahan describes the unknowns around his daughter's diagnosis as "every parent's worst nightmare."
"It never occurred to us that it would be cancer, I'll be honest with you, just looking at the trajectory at that point of her life -- and we have no history of anything bad in the family," Strahan says.
Isabella Strahan opens up about cancer journey in 1st look at new documentary
Isabella Strahan recounts in the documentary how in September 2023, she started noticing she was walking in a zigzag pattern and not walking in a straight line. She says she thought she might have vertigo, but her symptoms continued, and she began experiencing nausea. Then, one day, she says she started throwing up blood.
She says her twin sister Sophia Strahan encouraged her to go to the emergency room, and Michael Strahan sent her to get checked by a doctor.
After Isabella Strahan received a diagnosis of medulloblastoma, her doctors told her they needed to admit her into the hospital immediately and prepare for brain surgery in order to try to remove the brain tumor.
Michael Strahan's daughter Isabella shares health update, announces ABC special
Dr. Michelle Israel, an internal medicine specialist and one of Isabella Strahan's doctors, says in the documentary that her prognosis at the time wasn't good.
"She was actually in danger of having a seizure, having a stroke, and potentially dying," Israel says.
Isabella Strahan would go on to document her cancer journey publicly in a series of vlogs on YouTube as she received treatment at the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke University.
Following months of treatment, Isabella Strahan revealed on her YouTube channel she was cancer-free, and in August 2024, she returned to college at the University of Southern California.
"Life Interrupted: Isabella Strahan's Fight to Beat Cancer" will air Feb. 5 on ABC at 10 p.m. ET and the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.
Michael Strahan says daughter's cancer diagnosis was 'every parent's worst nightmare' originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
These jobs are hiring, despite a weak job market
The labor market slowed sharply this summer, leaving job applicants with fewer places to turn for a new position. Employers added an average of about 35,000 jobs over three months ending in July, which marks a major slowdown from roughly 128,000 jobs added monthly over the prior three months, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said earlier this month. The hiring cooldown has hit nearly every industry, including manufacturing, leisure and hospitality and the federal government. But two industries have bucked the trend: Health care and social assistance, the latter of which comprises services like child care and counseling, economists told ABC News. If not for job growth in those two sectors, the labor market would have suffered net job losses over the past three months. MORE: Trump admin live updates: Trump and Putin to meet at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson "This is a job market where growth is very thin," Daniel Zhao, chief economist at job-posting site Glassdoor, told ABC News. "Unfortunately, there aren't many industries growing consistently and robustly." "The job market is being propped up by health care and social assistance," Zhao added. Health care The health care sector added 55,000 jobs in July, which amounted to three of every four jobs added across the U.S. economy last month, BLS data showed. The performance in July extended robust growth that stretches back several years, economists said. "There's clearly an industry that stands out right now and that would be health care," Cory Stahle, an economist at Indeed Hiring Lab, told ABC News. The gangbusters hiring in the health care sector owes to two overlapping trends, economists said: persistent demand for health care from an aging population and ongoing recovery from job losses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike discretionary costs like luxury goods or restaurant dining, health care services are a necessity taken up by consumers regardless of financial conditions, economists said. "Health care is a non-optional industry," Stahle said. "If you need health care, you need health care." As the baby-boomer generation has aged, a growing share of people have experienced such healthcare needs. Between 2012 and 2050, the population of older people – aged 65 and above – is expected to nearly double from about 43 million to 83 million, the U.S. Census Bureau found in 2014. Robust consumer demand has coincided with a shortage of workers in the aftermath of widespread job losses as health care professionals suffered burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic. While overall employment in the sector has recovered to pre-pandemic levels, the new workers have been unevenly distributed, leaving shortages at workplaces such as skilled nursing facilities and intensive behavioral health centers, researchers at the University of Michigan found in June. "We do expect job growth in health care to continue as the U.S. population ages and demand for health services continues to rise," Zhao said. Social assistance Social assistance, the provision of support and emergency relief services, makes up the other bright spot in the job market. The sector added 18,000 jobs in July, accounting for nearly one of every four jobs added last month, BLS data showed. A subset of the sector, referred to by the descriptor "individual and family services," accounted for all of the jobs added in July. Such work is made up of counseling, welfare and referral services. MORE: Who is E.J. Antoni, Trump's pick to lead the BLS? Employers have continued to hire for therapist roles, despite a slowdown in the wider job market, Stahle said, citing job postings on Indeed. If the economy tips into a recession, the industry will likely continue to grow, since a larger share of the population would need assistance in the event of financial hardship, Zhao said. "This is a sector that grows even during bad times, because there is a demand for more social assistance when the economy is poor and people do need those services," Zhao added. Positions in the sector are not typically well compensated, however. Average hourly earnings in social assistance clocked in at $23.60 in June, the most recent month for which such data is available. That pay level came in well below an average of $36.32 per hour across the private sector, BLS data showed.
a day ago
Tennis star Monica Seles talks myasthenia gravis diagnosis, how she knew something was wrong
Tennis legend Monica Seles is speaking out about her diagnosis with a chronic neuromuscular condition to help shine a spotlight on the disease for others who may be struggling with changes to their own health. The nine-time Grand Slam champion and International Tennis Hall of Famer, who played her last professional competitive match in 2003 and officially retired from the sport in 2008, said in an interview with "Good Morning America" Tuesday that she was diagnosed three years ago with myasthenia gravis, or MG, a rare autoimmune condition. "It was 30 years ago that I came back to the [U.S.] Open ... It was like a reset, and this was one of the reasons I decided to go public with my myasthenia gravis, because it's been a huge reset in my professional life as a tennis player, also in my personal life," Seles said, speaking about her diagnosis publicly for the first time. Seles, who is also a spokesperson for the pharmaceutical immunology and antibody innovation company Argenx, the maker of one of her medications, told "GMA" that knowing her body so well as a professional athlete helped her realize that something was wrong. "I started experiencing these symptoms of extreme leg weakness, arm weakness, double vision. So I realized, 'This is very unusual,'" she said. "Once I was diagnosed, it was like a relief, but also it was a challenge. Even coming here today -- in the old days, traveling would be a no-brainer. Now I had to get packing tips. I had to learn a new way to live with MG." Seles said she decided to spotlight her condition and share more information publicly to raise awareness of the disease. "When I got diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, I had no clue what it was. I had a hard time pronouncing it," she said, noting that she hoped to use her platform "in a good way" to prompt conversations about myasthenia gravis and its symptoms, "and really just to not feel alone." "It's been a very challenging time dealing with it," she added. "[But] knowing that there's hope out there ... and a great community ... has helped me tremendously." She encouraged people to "advocate for yourself and know your symptoms" if they are in the process of figuring out their own health journey. Seles, 51, also spoke to "GMA" about the current class of rising tennis stars and why she's getting excited for the final Grand Slam of the season in New York. "I wish I had a crystal ball. I love [Coco] Gauff, the electricity she brought to the U.S. Open," Seles said. "Obviously we have a couple youngsters coming up. As a tennis fan, you know, we just want great matches and the excitement of the fans." What to know about myasthenia gravis According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, myasthenia gravis is a chronic neuromuscular disease that causes weakness in the voluntary muscles," which include those connecting a person's bones, as well as the muscles "in the face, throat, and diaphragm." Voluntary muscles "contract to move the arms and legs and are essential for breathing, swallowing and facial movements," the agency states. MG is an autoimmune disease, a condition in which the body attacks its own healthy cells by mistake, according to NINDS. Myasthenia gravis most commonly impacts adult women under 40, "but it can occur at any age," the NINDS website states. Symptoms can include weakness of the eye muscles, as well as muscles in the arms, legs, hands, fingers, and neck, and can also include shortness of breath, difficulty swallowing, drooping eyelids and impaired speech. Blurred or double vision may also occur, according to the agency. Symptoms may not be recognized immediately as MG, according to NINDS, and "the degree of muscle weakness involved" may vary between individuals. In severe cases, the muscles that control breathing can be affected by a myasthenic crisis, which requires immediate medical attention and respiratory support using a breathing machine. These crises may be triggered by infection, stress, or medications and can occur in approximately 15-20% of individuals with MG. MG is diagnosed through physical and neurological exams, blood tests and electrodiagnostic tests such as nerve stimulation tests, NINDS states. There is currently no known cure for MG, however the agency states that treatments are available to help reduce and improve muscle weakness.
New York Post
a day ago
- New York Post
ABC News anchor Linsey Davis reveals years-long battle with uterine fibroids: ‘I suffered in silence'
ABC News anchor Linsey Davis is going public for the first time about her lengthy battle with uterine fibroids, a condition that has repeatedly disrupted her health and daily life. 'I suffered in silence,' Davis, the 47-year-old anchor of the Sunday edition of 'World News Tonight' as well as a correspondent for 'Good Morning America' and '20/20,' told People. 'It's not something that I would talk to anybody about other than the gynecologist.' Advertisement 5 ABC News anchor Linsey Davis is speaking publicly for the first time about her long battle with uterine fibroids. ABC via Getty Images Davis, who has built her career reporting on other people's stories, is now telling her own, saying she hopes to help other women avoid suffering in isolation. Fibroids are noncancerous growths that develop in the uterus and can trigger a range of symptoms, from heavy and prolonged periods to pelvic pain, bloating, constipation, and back discomfort. While many women will develop them at some point, most don't notice because they never experience symptoms. Advertisement For Davis, the condition became impossible to ignore. She first learned she had fibroids 13 years ago, when her doctor assured her the case was mild but warned that pregnancy could be difficult. That prediction proved wrong. A year after marrying husband Paul Roberts, Davis gave birth to their son Ayden in 2014. During the pregnancy, doctors monitored a fibroid growing alongside the baby but told her it would likely stop once the pregnancy progressed. Advertisement 5 Davis says she hopes sharing her story will help other women avoid suffering in silence. ABC via Getty Images 'That's what happened,' she said. 'I had my son and didn't have any concerns.' Six years later, everything changed. Davis began having extreme menstrual cycles lasting up to two weeks, marked by intense bleeding and severe bloating that made her look, in her words, six months pregnant. Her gynecologist sent her to a fibroid specialist, and she underwent a myomectomy, a surgery to remove the growths while keeping the uterus intact. Advertisement Six fibroids were taken out, and for a time she was symptom-free. But the relief didn't last. About 18 months ago, Davis noticed a knot protruding from her lower abdomen. At first, doctors thought it was a hernia, but an ultrasound revealed it was fibroids again — this time about 13 of them. Her doctors presented three options: another myomectomy; a uterine fibroid embolization (a procedure that blocks blood flow to the fibroids); or a hysterectomy, the complete removal of the uterus. 5 The Emmy-winning correspondent will undergo a hysterectomy this month after years of painful symptoms. Getty Images for ESSENCE Only the hysterectomy would prevent new fibroids from forming. Weighing her choices, Davis kept coming back to the toll the condition had taken on her. 'I just wanna get rid of them,' she told People. The breaking point came in March, when she was co-hosting the Oscars pre-show. Her dress fit tightly around her bloated stomach, sparking online speculation that she was pregnant. Advertisement 'It became this embarrassing thing,' she recalled. Already exploring treatment options, the public chatter 'really intensified' her decision to act. After researching, getting a second opinion, and meeting with a surgeon, Davis chose to have a hysterectomy. 'I don't wanna have any more kids at this point,' she said. 'To me, that would be the only reason why I would've tried to do another method to preserve my uterus. But at this point, I just don't think that I need it.' Advertisement Her surgery is scheduled for Friday. The Emmy-winning correspondent is looking forward to a future without the cycles that have dictated her life. 'I will never miss having a period,' she told People, adding that buying what she believes is her last box of tampons felt like a milestone. 5 Davis wants to raise awareness of how common fibroids are, especially among black women. FilmMagic Advertisement 'I'm excited to be able to live my life without having to schedule and plan and worry and be anxious that I'm gonna have this heavy bleeding and excessive bloating and this uncomfortable menstrual cycle every month. I feel confident that my life will be better.' Davis also wants to use her platform to highlight how common fibroids are, particularly for black women. Research shows that more than 80% of black women and about 70 percent of women overall will have fibroids by age 50. For years, she simply endured the pain, normalizing it and telling herself to keep going. Looking back, she wishes she'd known how many other women were facing the same problem. 5 Fibroids are noncancerous growths that develop in or on the uterus and can cause symptoms like heavy bleeding, pelvic pain, and bloating. NanSan – Advertisement 'If I had known earlier what I was dealing with and known other people's stories, I wouldn't have felt like I was suffering silently or embarrassed about what I was going through,' she said. Now, she says, the best approach is openness — sharing experiences and advice instead of struggling alone. 'I just feel like that is a healthier approach rather than just trying to, on your own, solve for x.' Ahead of her surgery, Davis is taking part in a conversation that will air soon, sitting down with gynecologist Dr. Soyini Hawkins, singer Tamar Braxton, and former 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' star Cynthia Bailey — all of whom have faced their own fibroid challenges. The Post has sought comment from ABC News.
