Nick Cannon is currently recovering after being hospitalized for pneumonia, however, that didn’t stop him from paying tribute to his late son Zen Scott Cannon, who died one year ago from brain cancer at just five months old.
“I can’t believe its been a year already since the toughest day of my life occurred. Such a painful anniversary. Losing a child has to be the heaviest, most dark and depressive experiences that I will never get over,” the 42-year-old actor wrote. “Physically I’m definitely on the mend but Mentally and Spiritually I’m broken. Been tossing and turning all night, and as much as I know I need rest, last night I couldn’t sleep at all,” the “Masked Singer” host penned on his Instagram asking fans for prayers.
Cannon also revealed that a spiritual leader recently told him that he’s “in the midst of one of the most challenging seasons” of his life, while encouraging him to be steadfast and know that all of this will make him stronger. He also urged Cannon to not lean on his own understanding “but to rely on the peace that surpasses all.”
One of those challenges was an unexpected battle with pneumonia, which the father of 11 who just welcomed his third child with Abby De La Rosa revealed on Friday.
“Okay, so I guess I’m not Superman… I promised myself I would never be back at this place again… But this is a great lesson to take care of YOU or YOU won’t be able to take care of everyone else. Don’t trip though, I don’t need any well wishes or prayers, just some solid rest and I will be back on the journey to becoming stronger than ever… it’s just pneumonia, nothing I can’t handle,” Cannon shared. “Crazy thing is, last night we was just rocking a sold out crowd at Madison square garden in front of thousands of fans, now I’m all alone in a tiny hospital room. Life is definitely a rollercoaster! #LupusWarrior.”
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The lupus warrior previously opened up about his diagnosis in 2012. “They kind of say [my] autoimmune [disease] is – like a lupus type of thing, but no one else in my family has it,” Cannon said in an interview at the time. “I feel blessed to be alive. If it wasn’t discovered, I don’t know [what would have happened].
January marked Cannon’s 10-year anniversary with the autoimmune disease that causes inflammation affecting a person’s lungs, heart, brain, blood cells, kidneys, skin and joints.
Last month Cannon also revealed that he and Alyssa Scott, who was also the mother of Zen, are expecting another child together in a maternity photoshoot posted to Instagram.
“A MIRACLE & a BLESSING,’ Scott captioned the post.
Protecting yourself from pneumonia
Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs that affects millions of people worldwide each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). However, being a certain age, having certain medical conditions (i.e. lupus), and smoking can increase a person’s risk for pneumonia.
The good news is that pneumonia can often be prevented and can usually be treated. You can also lower your risk of pneumonia with vaccines and other healthy living practices, according to the CDC.
If you have lupus or are sick from another medical condition, you should take the following steps to protect yourself from pneumonia and other respiratory infections :
- Wash your hands regularly
- Clean and disinfect surfaces that are touched a lot
- Cough or sneeze into a tissue or into your elbow or sleeve
- Limit contact with cigarette smoke or quit smoking
- Take good care of medical conditions (like lupus, asthma, diabetes, or heart disease)