- The USC freshman will undergo chemotherapy in February
- Her doctors revealed they had to remove her eggs to ‘preserve fertility’
- “You definitely don’t expect this at 18, 19,” Isabella told GMA
Isabella Strahan, 19, has spoken out about the ‘difficult’ and ‘painful’ process of harvesting her eggs so she has the best chance of having children in the future as she prepares to undergo chemotherapy for her rare brain cancer.
Her Good Morning America host and the USC freshman opened up about her health struggles Thursday after doctors discovered a tumor larger than a golf ball in the back of her brain.
In a new GMA segment that aired Friday, Isabella’s doctor Dr. David Ashley, director of Duke University’s Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center, said that when she entered the next phase of her treatment for her medulloblastoma, she needed to harvest some eggs for “fertility preservation.”
Isabella said it wasn’t the conversation she expected at 19.
Isabella Strahan, 19, (pictured) has spoken out about the ‘difficult’ and ‘painful’ process of harvesting her eggs as she prepares to undergo chemotherapy
The teen’s doctor, Dr. David Ashley (pictured), appeared on GMA Friday morning and explained more about her prognosis
‘It was definitely difficult. “The process was, I’m not going to lie, it’s painful, but I got through it,” she said.
‘It’s certainly tough, but at 18 or 19 you definitely don’t expect this. Definitely a shock.”
Isabella’s doctor said that although the type of tumor is ‘incredibly rare’, with fewer than ten cases per year in patients her age, her prognosis is good.
“There are four types of medulloblastoma, and Isabella has what’s called a WNT subtype,” Dr. Ashley explained on GMA.
“Patients have a 90 percent survival rate after five years and the majority are completely cured,” he continued. “With Isabella, I’m very optimistic that her outcome will be great. She’s doing great.’
Michael said ‘as a parent’ he was happy to hear Dr.’s prognosis. Ashley and thanked the audience for their support.
“As far as Isabella is concerned, yesterday it was something for her to share that publicly,” he said Friday morning. “It just shows she’s lighter, it’s off her chest.”
“Thank everyone for your love, your support – we couldn’t be more grateful,” the father of four continued emotionally.
“So thank you to everyone there. Thanks to everyone here. I couldn’t wish I had a better family around me, both at work and at home. So thank you,” the NFL star said.