For Isabella Strahan, the simple act of running down a trail or laughing with friends feels like a victory. The 20-year-old daughter of former NFL star Michael Strahan and Jean Muggli has been documenting her recovery from brain cancer, and her most recent update shows just how far she’s come as she opens up about her life beyond cancer.

@isabellastrahan

Living the life I fought for ❤️‍🩹 #recovery #cancer #fyp

♬ The Journey – H.E.R.

Recently, Isabella shared a TikTok that told her story in two parts. The first clips were raw and difficult to watch incompasing hospital stays, physical therapy sessions, and the moment her head was shaved. Then the mood shifted in the video to viewers seeing her modeling in a Kenneth Cole campaign, hiking by the ocean, and jogging again, all scenes that made her caption resonate even more, “Living the life I fought for.”

The video played over H.E.R.’s ballad “The Journey,” with lyrics that seemed to mirror her path, “Going through hell, but still / you’re gonna make it through / It’s the fire that they can’t put out inside.”

@isabellastrahan

Can’t stop won’t stop ⭐️⭐️⭐️ #fyp #foryoupage

♬ MY X – unxzive

Isabella’s battle with medulloblastoma, a rare malignant brain tumor, demanded six weeks of radiation, four rounds of chemotherapy, and three brain surgeries. In July 2024, she was able to share the news that she was cancer-free, a milestone that drew an outpouring of support.

Now continuing her education as a student at the University of Southern California, Isabella says her focus has shifted to living fully in the present. “Obviously you can’t predict what can happen, and that is a little scary,” she told People Magazine in an interview earlier this year. “But I don’t think you can solely live in fear. I think I should live every day. Take every opportunity.”

She also believes in the power of telling her story. “I see the impact that can come from sharing my experience,” she explained. “My diagnosis, it’s a part of me, but it doesn’t define me. I want to be a voice.”

Isabella’s story spans stark contrasts, medical treatments on one end and modeling shoots on the other. We are glad that she is sharing the in between for all of us to continue to cheer alongside her as she continues on this incredibly new and amazing journey. 

Photo: Isabella Strahan TikTok/Instagram