Nick Cannon has opened up on the time lupus “almost took [his] life.”
The 41-year-old actor and talk show host had a near-fatal battle with the autoimmune disease — which occurs when the body’s immune system attacks its tissues and organs — a decade ago.
And during Monday’s episode of his eponymous talk show, Nick began: “Ten years ago, I experienced a sudden and mysterious illness that almost took my life.
“At the time, I had no idea it was lupus. And, you know me, I always have to have a camera on.”
In a video documenting his battle with lupus, Nick showed footage from January 2012 with his then-wife Mariah Carey, 52, of them playing in the snow with their 10-year-old twins Monroe and Moroccan, before he described the immense pain and shortness of breath he experienced.
A doctor then told Nick he had “a lot of oedema,” swelling in the body’s tissues, before finding out he had two clots in his lungs.
The Drumline star said: “It’s the last place you wanna be, man. Doctors telling you you could die.”
A month later, Nick was hospitalized with blood clots, and his near-death experience motivated him to “change everything” about the way he lives his life, including adopting a healthier diet, and he hopes by sharing his experience he will help others.
He said: “God’s plans are always bigger than our problems, so, what was once an issue, I can now say, ‘Look what we went through’
“It was hard. It was a struggle, but we made it through.”
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