Nick Cannon has revealed why he and Alyssa Scott opted against chemotherapy treatment for their late son Zen, who died last December.
The 42-year-old Masked Singer host was left devastated last year after his son died at just five months old from brain cancer.
Zen had been diagnosed with high-grade glioma - a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer - and also suffered from hydrocephalus, which is a build-up of fluid in the brain, per Mayo Clinic.
In an episode of The Checkup with Dr. David Agus on Paramount+, the actor opened up about how he and Scott found out about the infant's brain cancer and their reasons for going against chemotherapy.
Doctors told the parents early on that their son would not live a long life. They were then given various treatment options so that he could at least reach the ages of three or four.
One of the choices was chemotherapy but the duo was hesitant as Cannon had already received a form of treatment for his lupus - a long-term condition that causes joint pain, skin rashes, and tiredness - and knew how grueling it could be.
Cited by People magazine, the Wild'n'Out host explained: "When we first went to the hospital, just to decrease his head from rapidly continuing to grow, there were a couple of procedures we were all for.
"That, to me, made logical sense. There was less pain in him and the procedure was quick. It was all about the quality of life," he continued.
The father then questioned if the grueling treatment would extend his son's life or ease his pain, to which the doctors told him it wouldn't due to the placement of the tumor.
"Seeing your son hooked up to all of those machines - and he had to go for a shunt two or three times, and that was heartbreaking every time - even in that short amount of time, I couldn't imagine him having to go through chemo," he said, according to the publication.
The outlet shared that the America's Got Talent host said that Zen would have spent all his life in the hospital if he had chemotherapy. Ultimately, he and Scott wanted to spend the limited time they had with their son at home.
The newborn's final days were difficult for the father, who credited Scott for "her resilience," saying: "I definitely couldn't have [done] it without her. The fact that she was the one, from every aspect she handled it.
"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," he said about Zen's last day.
"I'm grateful for that, but it was definitely tough. To see your child there, suffering at a point and watching things shut down, it was pretty intense," he added.
On December 5, Cannon shared a heartbreaking message to his late son on the first anniversary of his death, writing: "Physically I’m definitely on the mend but mentally and spiritually I’m broken.
"Losing a child has to be the heaviest, most dark and depressive experience that I will never get over. A mixture of guilt, pain, and sorrow is what I suppress daily," he emotionally added.
Cannon and Scott are currently expecting their second child together - making it the comedian's 12th as he also shares children Golden Sagon, five, Powerful Queen, 23 months, and Rise Messiah, 10 weeks, with model Brittany Bell.
He is also a father to son Legendary Love, five, with Bre Tiesi, and three-month-old daughter Onyx Ice with LaNisha Cole. In addition to this, he shares twins Zion and Zillion, 17 months, and Beautiful Zeppelin, three weeks, with Abby De La Rosa, and twins, Moroccan and Monroe, 11, with ex-wife Mariah Carey.
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