In a recent appearance on The Checkup with Dr. David Angus, Nick Cannon opened up about choosing to forego chemotherapy for his son, Zen – who he shared with Alyssa Scott. It wasn’t an easy decision, but one that was made in an effort to give their child the best life possible, no matter how short it was.
Their son, Zen, was born on June 23, 2021, and while everything seemed fine at first, Cannon noticed a sinus problem at just a few months old. What was supposed to be a routine checkup took a turn for the worse when Zen was diagnosed with brain cancer. They were told chemotherapy wouldn’t do much.
“I knew how as a full grown man, that process. My hair was falling out. I wouldn’t even call it pain; it just sucked everything out of you. I couldn’t imagine that on a newborn and what that would do,” said Cannon on the podcast – referring to a time when he underwent chemotherapy to help treat his lupus nephritis.
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Nick Cannon and Alyssa Scott ultimately decided against chemo for their son after doctors warned it wouldn’t extend the life of the child and the ‘best case scenario’ would’ve been 3 to 4 years – most of which would be spent in a hospital. Instead, they decided to spend their son’s final moments as a family.
“Luckily we did everything from the sunrise, going to the beach, the sunset, said some beautiful prayers as a family, and really came together as a family in a very beautiful way. I’m grateful for that, but it was definitely tough,” said Cannon, describing the image of watching your child’s body shut down as ‘intense.’
Zen Cannon passed away on December 5, 2021, at just five months old. Nick took to Instagram to pay tribute to his late son. “I can’t believe it’s been a year already since the toughest day of my life occurred,” he wrote, adding that losing a child has to be the “heaviest, most dark and depressive experience.”
He paid tribute to Scott during his podcast appearance with Dr. David Angus. “The fact that she was the one, from every aspect she handled it. We had some beautiful moments,” he said – adding that he “definitely couldn’t have done it without her.” It was a tragic experience and one they’ll likely never get over.
Nick Cannon and Alyssa Scott Are Trying Again
Nick Cannon also opened up about trying again with Alyssa Scott just months after Zen’s death. We had the opportunity, we knew the transition was coming. It happened a lot faster than we thought,” he said. While it was a quick turnaround, the future co-parents are ready to welcome new life into this world.
The two are no strangers to parenthood. Alyssa Scott has a four-year-old daughter from a past relationship, though not much has been revealed regarding the father of the child. As for Nick Cannon, he’s been around the block and currently has 10 living children and 11 total – with No. 12 on the way.
Scott and Cannon have previously confirmed their baby will be here sometime in December, so it should be happening any day now. Cannon also welcomed four other children in 2022 (three of which since September) with four different women – Brittany Bell, Abby De La Rosa, Bre Tiesi, and LaNisha Cole.
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In total, Nick Cannon has two children with Mariah Carey, three children with Brittany Bell, three children with Abby De La Rosa, one child with Bre Tiesi, one child with LaNisha Cole, and two children with Alyssa Scott – one who passed and one on the way. There’s a good chance he adds to that total in the future.