Nick Cannon has announced that he will be taking some time off to be with family and mourn after the death of his son, Zen. The sad news was broken last Tuesday, which Cannon released on his talk show. He shared a touching tribute to his son. Zen had hydrocephalus, a rare condition characterized by build-ups of fluid in the brain cavities.

About Hydrocephalus

In normally functioning brains, fluid runs through ventricles in order to perform a number of functions, such as keeping the brain buoyant, maintaining constant pressure, preventing injury, and removing waste. However, in brains with hydrocephalus, this fluid builds up in the brain’s cavities, putting too much pressure on the brain. In infants, this causes symptoms like seizures, sleepiness, vomiting, irritability, failure to thrive, poor muscle tone, a soft spot on the top of the head, increasing head size, poor coordination, and downward fixed eyes. If hydrocephalus impacts an adult, the symptoms may be different. Possible effects include memory loss, impaired vision, loss of coordination, difficulty walking, progressive loss of reasoning skills, and loss of bladder control. In both age groups, hydrocephalus leads to brain damage.

These symptoms occur when there is an issue with the balance between the amount of cerebrospinal fluid produced and the amount absorbed into the bloodstream. Numerous things could cause this imbalance, including tumors, certain diseases, infections, injuries, and overproduction of the mechanisms responsible for cerebrospinal fluid. In terms of treatment, there are two different surgical options. The first is the insertion of a shunt, while the second is an endoscopic third ventriculostomy surgery.

Zen’s Story

Nick Cannon first noticed something was wrong with his son when he developed a cough. Upon taking him to the doctor, tests revealed that Zen did not have any fluid in his lungs as his parents had feared. Instead, he had a malignant tumor in his brain.

While Zen underwent surgery to have a shunt inserted, the tumor continued to spread. The family remained hopeful for some time but eventually had to say goodbye to their youngest member. Nick Cannon flew to California from New York to spend his son’s last days by his side.

Now, Cannon plans to take some time off to mourn the loss of his son. On his talk show, he had this to say about Zen:

“He was just the most loving. He was always smiling, always having the most beautiful spirit.”

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