How Isabella Strahan Prioritizes Health Nearly 3 Years After Cancer

And for Isabella—whose parents are Michael Strahanand Jean Muggli—that means taking even the smallest symptoms seriously.

“Now, when I get a headache, when I feel a little nauseous, a little dizzy, I go straight to my computer,” the content creator shared. “I text my nurse practitioner. I’m like, ‘Hi, I just want to be precautious. Can I get a doctor appointment?’”

And although Isabella takes her studies seriously, some appointments are more important than attendance.

“A few weeks ago, I just had a headache. I was tired. Felt a little dizzier than usual,” she recalled. “I emailed my professor. I was like, ‘Hi, I know it’s literally two hours before class, but I’m going to the doctor.’”

As Isabella emphasized, “Health is number one.”

But taking care of herself isn’t just about doctor’s appointments and healthy habits. For the communications major, it’s also meant spending more time with the people she loves—including her mom, dad and twin sister Sophia Strahan.

“Prioritizing those people, you find close in your life, along with your health, is the perfect combination for me now,” she explained. “Of course, I prioritized my family before, but now it’s a whole different level of, ‘Oh my gosh, I love you guys, and I’m so appreciative.’”

And as Isabella approaches the third anniversary of her brain tumor diagnosis, she’s reflecting on just how much her life has changed.

“You don’t really think at the age 18, 19, your first year in college, you’re going to get cancer necessarily, or even just a really bad sickness and have to uproot your whole life,” she admitted. “But it’s really been a blessing because through all this, I’ve gotten to share my journey and hopefully help some people along the way.”

And helping others is exactly what Isabella hopes to continue doing through her latest partnership with Aflac’s Check for Cancer initiative. As part oftheir Fit Checks campaign, she’s embracing “fashion with purpose” by encouraging people to wear a checkered pattern as a simple reminder to check for cancer.

“Their Check for Cancer movement is encouraging people to go for their checkup screenings, like early, just prioritizing early detection,” the model explained. “Something in my own cancer journey, I wish I maybe had prioritized a little more, but now I’m like super on top of it.”

After initially believing her symptoms were caused by vertigo before her cancer diagnosis, Isabella hopes her experience encourages others to advocate for their health.

As she put it, “Earlier detection and getting that MRI early and taking blood work really can save a life.”

And as she looks toward her next chapter, Isabella hopes to continue using her platform to make a difference.

“I’m hoping to accomplish as much advocacy work as possible, working with brands such as Aflac, who really bring initiative to early detection, cancer research and everything like that,” Isabella said. “It’s really important for me to hopefully make that a little less scary.”

For more details on Isabella’s cancer battle, read on.