Michael Strahan opens up about daughter Isabella's cancer battle: 'Her spirit was there'

Michael Strahan is opening up about his daughter's battle with cancer.

The pro-athlete turned daytime television host talked to People in an interview published Wednesday about the resilience Isabella, 20, showed in the face of hardship.

"She was thin and tired and bald and all the things you hate to see your kid go through," Strahan told the outlet. Isabella was diagnosed with medulloblastoma in 2023 and began treatment when she was just 19.

The condition, which refers to a cancerous tumor that starts in the lower back part of the brain, often occurs in young children, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Michael Strahan's daughter Isabella shares she's cancer free: 'I miss my doctors already'

"Her spirit was there," Strahan told People. "One of the things she said, probably the hardest thing I had to hear was, 'Dad I'll do whatever. I want to live.'"

"I knew she wouldn't quit," he told the outlet. "She was going to fight — and she did."

Isabella is now cancer-free, after several rounds of radiation and chemotherapy, as well as a number of surgeries.

Michael Strahan's daughter Isabella shares 'not fun' health update ahead of chemotherapy

"They dropped everything," she told People of her family's response to the diagnosis. She first noticed the symptoms − nausea, dizziness and headaches − while off at college and confided in her twin sister Sophia, who eventually told the rest of the family.

"My mom would sleep in the hospital with me," Isabella told People. Her mother, Jean Muggli, was married to Strahan from 1999 to 2006, and the pair share the twins.

"Isabella's strength and resilience was the same as it was when she was a little girl," Muggli told the outlet. "The way she handled every day with grace was amazing."

As she recovered from the surgery to remove the tumor and relearned how to eat, walk and speak, she chronicled the journey in a series of YouTube vlogs aimed at connecting with other cancer survivors, especially young people. The money she made from the content was donated to the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke University, where she received care.

Now back at college, her condition will be monitored closely in the coming months and then more sparingly in the years that follow.

"Her doctors feel very confident, she's going to be fine," Strahan tells People. "That's what we're going to hold on to, but you're nervous every time. That will never go away but as long as the results come back positive, then we'll live to fight another day."

Michael Strahan's heartbreaking revelation comes with a lesson about privacy. Will we listen?

ABC, the network that airs "Good Morning America," which Strahan hosts, will premiere a special on Feb. 5 titled "Life Interrupted: Isabella Strahan's Fight Against Cancer" that follows the family's journey. It will be available the following day on Hulu and Disney+.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Michael Strahan opens up about daughter Isabella's cancer battle