Michael Strahan’s daughter, 20, reveals how brain cancer battle changed everything with twin sister

Michael Strahan’s daughter Isabella is giving an unflinching look at her battle with brain cancer — and how the experience reshaped her relationship with her twin sister Sophia.

The 19-year-old model was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in October 2023, a shocking revelation that came just as she began her freshman year of college.

After months of grueling treatment, she was declared cancer-free the following summer.

Since then, Isabella has returned to her studies at the University of Southern California, while Sophia is enrolled at Duke University — the same place where Isabella underwent her cancer treatment.

Now, despite being on opposite coasts, the twin daughters of the NFL legend and Good Morning America host say they’ve never been closer.

The sisters open up about their unbreakable bond — and how cancer tested it — in an upcoming book called Sisters Loved and Treasured: Stories of Unbreakable Bonds.

Michael Strahan’s daughter Isabella is giving an unflinching look at her battle with brain cancer — and how the experience reshaped her relationship with her twin sister Sophia

The sisters open up about their unbreakable bond — and how cancer tested it — in an upcoming book called Sisters Loved and Treasured: Stories of Unbreakable Bonds; (pictured 2025)

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‘Yes, we grew up doing everything together and know everything about each other, but there have been times when we haven’t been as close. The relationship ebbs and flows. Still, you have each other’s back, no matter what,’  Sophia told People on Wednesday while promoting the book.

‘When Isabella got sick [during her first year of college], that put a lot of things into perspective,’ she added.

Isabella agreed, sharing how the diagnosis forced her to reevaluate what truly mattered.

‘It put so much into perspective. I would worry about small things and then understand, at the end of the day, they were trivial. It made me realize how special my relationships with my family are.’

But as the twins revealed, Isabella’s health battle also brought unexpected challenges — including changes in her appearance that made her feel different from her sister.

‘It’s just… honestly, we don’t even look the same anymore. That’s a little sad to me. A lot of it was my hair. I don’t know.

‘We were at a party recently and someone asked, “How do you guys know each other?’” We’re sisters, we’re twins,” Isabella said.

Still, through every setback, the sisters say their connection has only grown stronger.

But as the twins revealed, Isabella’s health battle also brought unexpected challenges — including changes in her appearance that made her feel different from her sister

‘It’s just… honestly, we don’t even look the same anymore. That’s a little sad to me. A lot of it was my hair. I don’t know,’ Isabella said on Wednesday

‘We were at a party recently and someone asked, “How do you guys know each other?’” We’re sisters, we’re twins,” Isabella said

‘Well, not many people can say they’ve gone through something so difficult and have someone who has been there the whole time. You have friends who are there for you, but they’re not reaching out as much as your twin sister would. That was great. It’s brought us a lot closer,’ Isabella shared.

And, in true sisterly fashion, she couldn’t resist ending on a light note: ‘We still get in fights. She says, “You’re fine now. I can take your things.”‘

Back in January, Michael described his daughter’s cancer diagnosis as ‘every parent’s worst nightmare’ as he discussed her recovery from the disease.

‘As a parent, you’re scared,’ he said in ‘Life Interrupted’ a special documenting Isabella’s cancer journey, which was previewed in part on GMA. ‘Oh my, you’re just scared.’

‘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,’ he added.

Isabella was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a malignant brain tumor that develops in the cerebellum after initially struggling to walk in a straight line.

According to GMA, she believed she had vertigo, before becoming nauseous one day and later throwing up blood.

She eventually went to the emergency room where it was determined she had cancer, and she was promptly operated on to try and remove the tumor.

Isabella then underwent rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, as well as needing two follow-up surgeries after getting an infection from the initial operation.

‘She wasn’t eating much. She was thin and tired and bald and all the things you hate to see your kid go through,’ Strahan told People earlier this month. ‘I don’t know how she did it.

‘I was struggling myself with it. I always say that she is a lot stronger than I am.

‘Her spirit was there. 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 normally cry when I tell people that but I am trying to hold it together for you.’

Isabella documented her battle and recovery from cancer across her YouTube channel

Isabella was seen over the holidays vacationing in the Caribbean with her sister Sophia and shared pictures on social media celebrating her return to health from the Bahamas.

‘And we’re back…’ Isabella poignantly captioned the images on social media in late December.

‘My first round of chemo experience was one of the worst things I’ve done ever in my entire life,’ she also said on her YouTube channel. ‘It just felt weird getting chemo. I don’t know, you don’t really think you’re gonna get poison put through your body.’

While Isabella is now cancer-free, Strahan admitted that he has still has a sense of nervousness regarding his daughter, who is being monitored by doctors.

‘There will not be a time where she’s getting a scan where I won’t be on pins and needles,’ he said.  ‘I don’t care if it’s 10 years, 20 years, 30 years from now, you’ll always be nervous. And I could tell she feels it too.’