On Tuesday, Nick Cannon revealed on his daytime television show that his youngest son, Zen Cannon, had tragically died over the weekend. He was 5-months-old.
Cannon explained on his daytime television show “The Nick Cannon Show” that his son was diagnosed with hydrocephalus, which is a medical condition that causes a fluid buildup on the brain.
Photo by: Amanda Edwards/ Contributor
“I actually haven’t shared this with anybody, not even the crew that came in,” the 41-year-old stated. “I had a tough, very tough weekend.”
He continued.
“Over the weekend, I lost my youngest son to a condition called hydrocephalus that is pretty much a malignant, midline brain tumor — brain cancer,” Cannon said. Hydrocephalus is characterized by an abnormal increase in the amount of fluid on the brain.”
Hydrocephalus is defined as “an accumulation of fluid in the cavities deep within the brain,” according to the Mayo Clinic. Because of the exerted pressure, the excess fluid may cause harm to brain tissues.
The condition can be passed down through the generations or caused by developmental problems. If left untreated, the ailment can be lethal.
As he revealed his son’s medical condition, the television host broke down in tears.
“I always noticed he had a cough and so I wanted to check it out,” Cannon shared.
He continued.
“He had this real interesting breathing, and by the time he was 2 months old I noticed … he had this nice-sized head, too. I called it a Cannon head,” he explained. “We didn’t think anything about it. But I wanted to take him to the doctor for his sinus and breathing. We thought it would be routine.”
According to Cannon, the fluid that was accumulating on Zen’s brain caused it to enlarge. The 5-month-old had surgery to drain the fluid after doctors identified the cancerous growth.
Around this past Thanksgiving, the 5-month-old’s condition worsened.
“The process sped up” Cannon said. “Ultimately, it was cancer in the brain. The tumor began to grow a lot faster.”
Cannon became to share his last moments with his son.
“This weekend, I made an effort to spend the most quality time with Zen” he shared. “We woke up on Sunday … and went to the ocean with him.”
Cannon was overcome with emotion as he described holding Zen for the last time.
“I was preparing my day as it normally went. I didn’t know what it was going to be. But even by the time I got in the car headed for the airport, I had to turn around,” he explained.
“I turned around and not only did we get to see the sunrise, but we got to see the sunset, too,” the actor stated.
Cannon decided to dedicate the episode to Zen.
“This is a special show dedicated to my beautiful son.”
Cannon has 10-year-old twins Moroccan and Monroe Cannon with his ex-wife, Mariah Carey; a 4-year-old son Golden and an 11-month-old daughter Powerful Queen Cannon with model/ Miss Guam 2014 Brittany Bell; and 5-month-old twins Zion Mixolydian Cannon and Zillion Heir Cannon with Abby De La Rosa.
The host stated that he’s going to take time off to grieve.
We send our condolences to the Cannon family, and loved ones at this time.
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