“I’m having a sandwich that I don’t remember ordering.” Those were the words of 19-year-old Isabella Strahan, daughter of Michael Strahan, as she shared a humorous yet poignant update on her YouTube channel about her latest round of chemotherapy.
Back in October 2023, Isabella had emergency surgery to remove a large medulloblastoma, a malignant tumor, from her cerebellum. Now, she’s diving into her third round of chemotherapy with a mix of determination and candidness.
Despite facing the formidable task ahead, Isabella remained upbeat. “Let’s go! Third chemo!” she cheered, even while acknowledging the minor discomfort of having her treatment line removed.
At the hospital, Isabella was surrounded by loved ones, including her best friend, twin sister Sophia, parents, and aunt. Despite the warmth of family and friends, the rigors of chemotherapy were still evident. She munched on a cup of crushed ice, lamenting, “For the past few weeks, I’d say, I had the biggest appetite, and then last week, it just dropped to zero. So, it’s annoying.”
Beyond the loss of appetite, Isabella recounted other side effects, including short-term memory loss and episodes of uncontrollable shaking, known as rigors. “I’m having a sandwich that I don’t remember ordering,” she confessed, illustrating the challenging side effects of her medication. “I got this medication that makes me rigor, which is like shaking extremely and feeling cold. So I guess I ordered myself a sandwich.”
As she looked ahead, Isabella shared a mix of relief and disbelief. “Tomorrow’s really my last day of chemo,” she said excitedly. “It’s crazy and then it’s my last cycle and then I’m done. It’s insane.”
In a subsequent vlog, Isabella revealed more about her experience, explaining that she felt quite “loopy” in her previous update. “It’s been a few days since I’ve done chemo and I didn’t do Vincristine, I’m done with that so I feel a lot better. I’ve just been sleeping for like 18 hours,” she shared. “But I’m home.”
Gratefully, she reported minimal pain, despite one particularly disorienting day. “At the hospital, I don’t remember Tuesday because I’m given this drug to protect my hearing and just because I have a reaction to it, they give me Ativan. And for some reason, I can’t remember a single thing about that day. So if I seemed loopy, that’s why.”
Isabella’s latest round of treatment passed quickly, a blessing and a curse. “I didn’t film too much of my third round because it went by quickly,” she said, expressing a mix of relief and nerves as she anticipated her final round. “I just want it to be June already. That’s the thing, I just wait around for the next time I get chemo and I’m kind of scared once I’m done, how I’m gonna go back to normal life. Because I feel like there’s always gonna be another treatment or something I have to do. But that’s a later problem.”
With a hopeful smile and a few tears, she concluded, “Otherwise, I’m doing good.”
