Isabella Strahan, the daughter of Michael Strahan, recently gave a direct update on her ongoing fight against brain cancer. The courageous 20-year-old shared a moving video on her YouTube channel, “Vlog 8: Recovering from Chemo at Home,” detailing the excruciating physical suffering she endures while undergoing chemotherapy.

Isabella described the unbearable pain she is experiencing as akin to a “heart attack.” She talked about how difficult it was for her to get rid of her headache, even going so far as to put an ice pack on her freshly shaven head. She admitted, “Everything hurts,” pointing out the pressure on her jaw, mouth, and eyes.

“I have strained eyes.” I stared at the sides of my eyes, feeling a sharp pain. Isabella expressed, “I feel as though every single tooth in my mouth underwent a massive root canal, without any surgical replacement.” “When I gulp down water, my jaw hurts, and my tongue hurts, too.”

Isabella bravely acknowledged that, given the terrible suffering chemotherapy causes her body, she would rather have radiation therapy or brain surgery. She expressed her worries about possible side effects from her therapy and said, “This journey is the longest and the hardest.” She frequently worries about the unknown, asking questions such as, “What if my heart hurts?” What happens if my vision fails? What happens if my teeth fall out due to decay?

Despite all of the difficulties she has encountered, Isabella is pleased to be at home and resting in her own bed. Although she felt safe in the hospital, she treasures the familiarity of her surroundings. The vlog also included a few clips from Isabella’s hospital stay and special moments spent with her father, Michael Strahan, and twin sister, Sophia.

Isabella’s update follows an emotional piece on Good Morning America in which she and her father publicly revealed her illness. She described the first symptoms she had, including nausea and headaches, which she didn’t pay much attention to until the terrifying moment she woke up throwing up blood. Following several tests, medical professionals determined that she had a medulloblastoma, a cancerous brain tumor. Michael Strahan claimed that “personal family matters” caused his more than three-week hiatus from Good Morning America, but he did not provide any details at the time.

Despite the difficulties she encounters, Isabella never gives up. Following her diagnosis, she has frozen her eggs, and in January, she finished her final round of radiation. During these difficult times, our thoughts are with Isabella and her family.