Nick Cannon opened up on the tragic loss of his 5-month-old son Zen, revealing his son's brain cancer came as a "shock" to their family.
Zen was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer in August. His condition worsened around Thanksgiving and he passed away on Dec. 5.
"Was there a point where you just knew that something just wasn't right?" host Hoda Kotb asked Cannon on "TODAY" Thursday.
"We had no idea," Cannon replied, describing his son as "vibrant" and "calm."
"I thought maybe he had a minor sinus problem and that had nothing to do with it. That was the surprise," Cannon said. "We're taking him in to make sure he didn't have anything going on, or possibly fears of Covid, or something like that — then to get this news was shocking to our entire family."
The entertainer said he felt "a lot of fear" in announcing the passing of his son on his show last week.
"I’m so used to being upbeat and outspoken and even vulnerable at times. This was probably the most delicate and most precious thing I’ve ever had to talk about," Cannon said, noting he wanted to open up but still be "the protector" for the rest of his family.
When asked how he’s dealing with the loss, Canon candidly replied, “I’m taking it as my therapist says — five minutes at a time."
"I’m optimistic in finding a purpose through all of the pain," the 41-year-old added.
Cannon praised Zen's mother model Alyssa Scott as "one of the strongest individuals I've known."
"As a father, it's painful. For a mother, who carried a beautiful child for nine months and nurtured and cared for him every single day through this process... There were so many medicines, so many trips to the hospital and the doctor," he said.
"I attempt to be there for her but I watch her strength and I'm in awe daily."
Cannon revealed he and Scott decided not to treat Zen with invasive treatments like chemotherapy, and opted instead to give him the most comfortable life.
“We were having quality-of-life conversations,” Cannon told People magazine. “We could have had that existence where he would’ve had to live in the hospital, hooked up to machines, for the rest of the time.”
Though it's been an emotional journey for Cannon and his family, he ended his Thursday interview with a message of hope saying, "You just got to keep pushing through it."
