How Isabella Strahan Transitioned Back to School After Cancer Battle

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Isabella Strahan is living her best Trojan life.

It’s amazing to see her back at USC! After finally getting the all-clear from cancer over a year ago, she’s really diving back into college life. She had to take over ten months off while she fought brain cancer, so seeing her embrace everything – classes, activities, everything – is just incredibly inspiring. It’s like she’s making up for lost time, and honestly, she deserves it.

Isabella shared with TopMob News that while her life is busy, she enjoys it. She especially likes balancing her modeling work, personal interests, and studies as a student right now.

Beyond being a student at USC, this East Coast native is adjusting to a busy life that combines auditions, classes, and her role as the first brand ambassador for F.A.S.T. haircare.

She explained that her schedule is packed, switching between classes and work commitments. Sometimes she has auditions over Zoom, and other times she needs to fly to Miami for shoots, all while also studying for midterms. She laughed, saying it feels a bit like living a double life, similar to Miley Cyrus or Hannah Montana – balancing school with a fun, exciting career.

After almost a year of treatment for medulloblastoma, Isabella was thrilled to be back to her regular life as a student – it’s something she’d been looking forward to for a long time.

During my treatment, I really missed going to school. It’s strange because when you are in school, you don’t always appreciate it. But when you’re unable to attend because you’re sick, it’s all you think about and the one thing you want to do.

She explained that before recent events, she wouldn’t have been eager to go to school. Now, though, she genuinely enjoys it, saying, ‘I love it here. It’s amazing.’

Now, she’s happily embracing college life with her family – including her father, Michael Strahan, mother, Jean Muggli, and twin sister, Sophia – as well as her friends, sorority sisters, and fellow students.

Isabella was excited about USC, saying she already knew a lot of people there. She felt it was the perfect fit for her, largely because of the strong and supportive community she found.

Isabella is also being supported by F.A.S.T. Haircare, and its founder and CEO, Carolyn Aronson, explains why she chose Isabella as their first brand ambassador.

Carolyn shared with TopMob how impressed she is with this person’s openness and courage. She described her as stunningly beautiful, both inside and out, and praised her life story as truly inspiring. Carolyn also expressed how much they enjoy collaborating with her.

Isabella began sharing her experience of hair regrowth after receiving a cancer-free diagnosis in July 2024, and the brand’s message resonated with her personally.

She shared that the partnership with F.A.S.T. is particularly important to her, explaining that as a cancer survivor, dealing with hair loss has been a major emotional challenge.

After all, her hair was a big part of who she was before her cancer battle.  

She explained that she used to feel beautiful because of her hair, and often received compliments on it, especially when she was younger. Losing her hair felt like a truly painful experience, like a heartbreak.

Isabella is embracing the journey of rediscovering her relationship with her hair and feels hopeful about the future. She says the quicker her hair grows back, the sooner she’ll feel like herself again and regain her confidence.

Read on to see how far Isabella has come on her journey:

Isabella Strahan, daughter of Michael Strahan and Jean Muggli, says she didn’t realize anything was wrong with her health until she began getting headaches and feeling nauseous in early October 2023.

After experiencing a frightening symptom – vomiting blood – she had a comprehensive medical evaluation, including an MRI, because her father insisted. The tests revealed she had medulloblastoma, a type of cancerous brain tumor most often found in children.

Later that month, she underwent brain surgery to remove the mass.

In January 2024, Isabella revealed her diagnosis in an interview with her father and Robin Roberts from ABC News.

Honestly, seeing my daughter face challenges, I just feel incredibly lucky to be her dad. It’s tough watching her go through a hard time, but I truly believe she’s strong enough to handle anything life throws her way, and I know she’s going to come out on top. I have so much faith in her.

Isabella’s twin sister, Sophia Strahan, also shared her support. In an Instagram post, she wrote about how lucky she is to have such an incredible sister and friend. She acknowledged that the past few months have been incredibly difficult, but emphasized how strong Isabella has been throughout it all.

Following her interview, Isabella shared she had finished her round of radiation therapy.

She shared in a January 2024 YouTube video that she was relieved to be finished with something after a challenging six weeks. She explained she was happy to recover and move past the difficult side effects she’d been experiencing.

Following radiation therapy, Isabella began undergoing chemotherapy to treat her cancer.

In a February 2024 video, she described feeling like she’d had a full-mouth root canal. She explained that it felt as if all her teeth had been pulled without any follow-up care, causing pain in her jaw, at the base of her tongue, and even when she swallowed water.

Despite everything, the teenager remained positive, playfully mentioning in a video a week later that her hair was now “too short.”

“Besides being bald,” she said, “it doesn’t bring me pain mentally.” 

Isabella was supposed to start her second round of chemotherapy in early March 2024, but an emergency surgery delayed it. Doctors had to remove fluid from her head and replace a piece of her skull with a titanium plate, pushing her chemotherapy back several weeks.

I was really worried watching her latest vlog. She just sounded awful, saying she was in so much pain. She kept talking about how puffy her face was and how much everything just sucked. She even admitted she’d been screaming from the pain earlier – it sounded truly terrible to hear.

In March 2024, Michael, Isabella’s dad, surprised her with a visit from her favorite singer, Bryson Tiller, to cheer her up while she was undergoing treatment.

Michael teased his daughter while she was filming her vlog, saying, ‘You haven’t been this active in months!’ He playfully added, ‘You’re totally a fan right now.’

 

In a video posted in March 2024, Isabella revealed she had begun her second course of chemotherapy, with only four treatments remaining.

Amid her second chemotherapy round, Isabella said she began experiencing difficulties in walking.

In a vlog posted in March 2024, she explained that she gets lightheaded and out of breath even when walking, and wished there was a medicine to help with her exhaustion.

 

The YouTuber shared good news after completing her second chemotherapy treatment: she now only needs two more rounds instead of the initially planned four.

I was so moved watching her video from April 2024. She was crying, but she explained they were happy tears – the kind that don’t even feel like sadness, they’re just pure joy!

Isabella’s recovery faced a setback when she needed another brain surgery – her third craniotomy. She described this procedure as being much different and more challenging than her previous ones.

I’ve been crying quite a bit recently,” she shared in a video posted in April 2024. “During the procedure, they inserted a needle in three places to remove fluid, and I was fully conscious the entire time. It was my first surgery while awake.”

Isabella shared an update on her third round of chemotherapy, explaining that she’s completely lost her appetite. “It just disappeared last week,” she said in a May 2024 video, adding that it’s frustrating.

Even though she was also dealing with memory problems, Isabella focused on the positive. “Tomorrow is my last chemotherapy session,” she said, “and after that, it’s the final cycle, and then I’m finished. It’s amazing!”

In June 2024, Isabella celebrated finishing her chemotherapy by posting a TikTok video. She shared the news with a simple message: “Just finished chemo,” and captioned the post, “Did it.”

Because of when it happened, the University of Southern California student – who rang the bell and walked through a confetti-filled celebration – was able to enjoy a short summer break.

I was really worried I’d finish treatment at the end of July,” she said. “I needed six rounds of therapy, and then I’d have to go right back to school. I’m just so relieved and happy that things worked out differently.

In a July 2024 YouTube video, she shared that she had her chemo port removed and mentioned the area was still a little tender. She explained the recovery process seemed manageable – about four weeks of avoiding water and being careful, with a focus on scar care. She felt it wasn’t too difficult.

Isabella happily shared in a July 2024 YouTube video that her latest scan showed no signs of cancer after completing chemotherapy. She described the results as “great, great” and said “everything was clear” and “everything is great.” She was clearly relieved by the positive news.

You know, leaving a care team you really connect with is surprisingly tough. I was just thinking about how much I miss my doctors and nurses – they were all so kind and supportive. It genuinely made me a little sad knowing I wouldn’t be seeing them regularly for a while, because they truly made a difference in my experience. It’s a testament to how important that personal connection is when you’re navigating healthcare.

With her cancer now in remission, Isabella celebrated by doing what she’d always dreamed of: a trip to Disneyland! Her father, a Super Bowl champion, and her twin sister Sophia joined her in October 2024 to celebrate their 20th birthdays a little early.

The college student also celebrated another key milestone. 

She shared on Instagram that it had been 365 days since a major life change, posting a photo of herself in a graduation cap, gown, and mask while in a hospital bed. Along with a picture of the balloons and flowers she received, she expressed gratitude for the progress she’s made.

Isabella documented her battle with cancer in a TikTok video posted in September 2024. It showed difficult moments like being in the hospital, relearning to walk, and dealing with hair loss. The video then shifted to show happier times – Isabella smiling during a Kenneth Cole modeling campaign, hiking by the ocean, and running, activities she couldn’t do when she was sick.

The TikTok also featured H.E.R.’s song “The Journey,” with lyrics like, “Going through hell, but you’ll get through it. It’s an inner strength they can’t extinguish.”

In the caption of the post, Isabella triumphantly wrote, “Living the life I fought for.”

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2025-11-07 03:19