Celebrating Milestones
- Michael Strahan’s daughter Isabella Strahan, 19, has just completed her intensive chemo treatments for brain cancer and has taken to social media to celebrate the major milestone with some sweet dance moves.
- Isabella was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor earlier this year. She first underwent emergency surgery to remove most of the mass in her brain earlier this year.
- Additional treatment for brain cancer includes radiation therapy, followed by chemotherapy, to try and get any remaining cancer cells left behind.
- Reaching milestones after during or after a cancer battle, or after life changes made to reduce the risk of cancer, is huge. These events like finishing up chemo treatment, turning another year older, or birthdays may mean even more than they did previously, so it’s important to take them all in and celebrate all that you’ve overcome.
Isabella took to social media this week to commemorate the milestone moment as she’s been through many ups and downs since she was diagnosed earlier this year with medulloblastoma, a rare primary central nervous system tumor, the National Cancer Institute explains. This type of brain tumor is cancerous and grows quickly, making it more likely to spread to other parts of the body.
Read More@isabellastrahan Did it
The seconds-long video ends with Isabella beaming with happiness after doing some brief dance moves and a video overlay text that reads, “Just finished chemo.”
Her post was flooded with positive comments and fans wishing her the best, with one person writing, “Congratulations God is Good. Continuing to pray Healing for you.”
Another commended, “Congratulations, Isabella, you did it!!! So very, very happy for you. Continue the healing process, He has got your back.”
“You are so brave! Stay positive,” a third fan wrote.
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Isabella previously revealed in a video shared on her YouTube channel that she was initially expecting to end chemo in July. We’re delighted to see Strahan’s daughter thriving amid her cancer journey and maintaining hope for the future.
Earlier this year, Isabella revealed she was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. She first underwent emergency surgery to remove most of the mass in her brain. Additional treatment includes radiation therapy, followed by chemotherapy, to try and get any remaining cancer cells left behind.
Isabella’s brain cancer journey revved up last Fall when she started getting headaches and nausea and had trouble walking. When she would wake up, there were times when she would throw up blood.
Her chemotherapy treatment has been brutal as she’s openly cried while coping with the side effects of chemo. She revealed in her most recent YouTube video, “My doctor just called me and told me I only have to do two more rounds of chemotherapy, and it’s like the biggest thing. I’m so happy.”
“My hair will hopefully start growing again once I’m done [with chemo],” she added.
@isabellastrahan But still alive so #foryou
It’s wonderful to see Isabella going through her cancer journey with constant support from her family and sister Sophia, seen in the recent celebratory dancing video.
In an Instagram post featured on Sophia’s page, she expresses just how much her sister means to her and what it’s been like seeing her go through such arduous times.
Sophia wrote, “I’m so lucky to have the most amazing sister and best friend in the world. The last few months have been so much harder than we could have ever imagined, but it’s made me realize just how strong you are.
“You inspire me and I’m so proud of you. Us forever.”
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Coping With Hair Loss Amid Chemo
Hair loss, like Isabella Strahan has experienced, can be an emotional stage of anyone’s cancer journey. SurvivorNet has tips and resources for anyone facing this side effect and struggling to manage it.
“For cancer patients, losing one’s hair can be unbelievably stressful. To start with, the dread of losing one’s hair can lead to some sleepless nights and feelings of anxiety,” Dr. Samantha Boardman, a New York-based psychiatrist and author, told SurvivorNet.
Chemotherapy can cause hair loss. It usually begins about three to four weeks after chemotherapy and continues throughout treatment.
WATCH: Hair loss during chemo.
It happens because this treatment targets quickly dividing cells throughout the body. That includes cancer cells but also hair cells.
Radiation is another treatment that can lead to hair loss if the hair is in the path of the tumor being treated. For example, radiation for a brain tumor may cause hair loss on the head.
“If you do lose hair, it will regrow several weeks or months after treatment,” radiation oncologist at GensisCare Dr. James Taylor tells SurvivorNet.
“Fortunately, for most patients, hair loss is not a concern when having radiation therapy.”
Most patients can expect regrowth four to six weeks after treatment. However, it is possible when your hair grows back, you may notice some changes in its color and texture.
Dr. Boardman suggests connecting with others experiencing cancer treatment like yours and asking them for first-hand advice.
“Talk to people who have been through it, get their advice, voice your concerns to your caregiver, and see what they can do,” Dr. Boardman added.
If losing your hair is a concern before cancer treatment, know you have options like wigs, hats, wraps, and more.
Understanding Scalp Cooling Devices
Scalp-cooling devices have been approved by the FDA recently, first for breast cancer and then several other cancers. That means wearing cold caps or special cooling caps before, during, and after each chemotherapy treatment.
The caps, which are tightly fitting and strap-on helmet-style, are filled with gel coolant chilled to -15 to -40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Essentially, the caps “cause vasoconstriction, or a narrowing of the blood vessels bringing blood to the scalp,” Dr. Renata Urban, gynecologic oncologist at the University of Washington, explains.
By constricting the blood flow to the scalp, the caps limit the circulating chemotherapy that reaches the hair follicles, protecting them from some of the chemo’s damaging effects.
The cold also decreases the activity of the hair follicles, slowing down cell division and making the follicles less affected by the chemotherapy medicine.
WATCH: What is a scalp-cooling device?
Dr. Julie Nangia, a medical oncologist at Baylor College of Medicine and a lead author on one of the significant studies of the device, says 50% of women were able to keep their hair after four rounds of chemotherapy, and added: “Without the devices, 100% of patients lost their hair.”
There have been some safety questions when it comes to scalp-cooling, but Dr. Nangia says that when given to people with solid tumors (like breast, ovarian, colon, and lung cancer), the devices are safe.
Reaching Milestones as a Cancer Survivor
Reaching milestones after during or after a cancer battle, or after life changes made to reduce the risk of cancer, is huge. These events like finishing up chemo treatment, turning another year older, or birthdays may mean even more than they did previously, so it’s important to take them all in and celebrate all that you’ve overcome.
I’m Able to Be Here For More Milestones One Cancer Survivor’s Incredible Story
Chrissy Degennaro, a cancer warrior determined to keep enjoying these precious milestones, is a great example of this. She has been battling a rare blood cancer called multiple myeloma for 14 years, and was first diagnosed when she was just 36 years old with a 2-year-old son.
When she was diagnosed, she almost expected to not be able to see him enter kindergarten. But thanks to 27 rounds of chemotherapy, two stem cell transplants, a CAR-T cell trial and two CAR-T cell transplants over following 14 years, she’s able to keep making memories with her family.
“You know, I do live one day at a time,” Chrissy previously told SurvivorNet. “Now, maybe I can go a week, a month, but things are looking pretty good. I’m able to be here for more milestones for my son, for more holidays, more birthdays. I do feel like I have had another chance at life.”
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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