Nick Cannon Looks Back at His Health Journey Since Being Diagnosed With Lupus 10 Years Ago

Nick Cannon's goal in 2022 is staying focused on new beginnings. But, on the heels of the 10-year anniversary of his lupus diagnosis, the 41-year-old talk show host is also looking back and sharing the journey he went through to offer an insight into what led him to his new perspective.

"Ten years ago, I experienced a sudden and mysterious illness that almost took my life," Cannon opened Monday on his eponymous show. "At the time, I had no idea it was lupus. And, you know me, I always have to have a camera on. So, I would literally open up my phone, grab my camera and I would talk to the camera, and I documented the entire health journey."

"And, because it's such an important anniversary for me," he continued, "and we're all about health and wellness in 2022, I wanted to share my own personal testimony with you."

Cannon's video starts with the date Jan. 3, 2012. As he's narrating the video, there's a mix of home footage showing him playing in the snow with his family and wife at the time, Mariah Carey. He asks, "How did I get here? I mean, just a few days ago I was with my family in the snow, playing, having a good time."

Cannon says, all of a sudden, he started swelling up and experiencing shortness of breath. There was also excruciating pain on his right side. Before he knew it, Cannon says he woke up in the hospital "with a bunch of doctors telling me I have kidney failure."

At one point, a doctor can be heard telling Cannon he has "a lot of edema," which is swelling caused by fluid trapped in the body's tissues. It can cause swelling of the face, legs and abdomen, all of which Cannon experienced and documented on video. Things looked bleak, Cannon said, after doctors found two blood clots in his lungs.

"It's the last place you wanna be, man," he said. "Doctors telling you you could die."

The health journey video concludes with Cannon taking drastic steps to change his lifestyle, from his workouts and what he eats, to his job as a radio show host. He ultimately concludes being diagnosed with lupus was, "a way to help others through my experience."

"So, what was once an issue," Cannon said. "I can now say look what we went through. It was hard. It was a struggle, but we made it through."

RELATED CONTENT: 

Video

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7psDOp6OippVjsLC5jqegnKNdmK6vus6nZKWnn6DAbq7AnKJmmaRitaq%2FjKGcmqSknXqru9SrpZ6xXai2r6%2FEZpmeoZ6ceqW1wKClqKuVmXq4tdOhZKWtoKrAbn2PZrCemaKoeqKzzmZocG9maH8%3D