By Derrick Lane, blackdoctor.org
Actor, musician, host and entrepreneur Nick Cannon revealed last week that he would be spending Christmas in the hospital to undergo treatment for lupus, which he was diagnosed with in 2012. “All good though, Doctors say I will be back to normal before the New Year,” he wrote on Instagram Thursday, December 22.
Then on December 28th, Cannon recorded a video to his 1.8 million followers on instagram sharing that he was still in the hospital but getting out soon.
“I’m sitting here just getting stronger,” he says. “Just like an Iron Man strong, Incredible Hulk-type strong. And Buddha said it best: ‘Every morning that you wake up, you are born again, and it matters what you do today the most.’ … I want you to go on this journey with me ’cause I appreciate all the love. I didn’t know y’all loved me like that. … We all are stronger ’cause we made it through 2016 and we’re gonna keep going.”
He also captioned the video with, “Thank you for all the love, care and prayers. Lets Go!! We are all Ncredible!!! “You Only Got a Moment… So live it like You Own it!”
Now, Cannon revealed on Thursday December 29th that he just was released and that he underwent five blood transfusions during his two-week hospital stay.
“Honestly, I feel great,” Cannon says, noting that he went straight to the studio upon his release. “We’re back at it again. … Five blood transfusions, what? Naw, it ain’t nothing.”
Shortly after being diagnosed with Lupus, Cannon stated, “I don’t necessarily look sick, but there are times when I wake up and I can’t move,” says Cannon, who talks candidly about lupus, the chronic illness that was diagnosed in 2012 and that he’ll live with for the rest of his life. “It’s a tough disease.”
Lupus is an unpredictable and misunderstood autoimmune disease that ravages different parts of the body. It is difficult to diagnose, hard to live with and a challenge to treat. Lupus has a range of symptoms, strikes without warning, and has no known cause and no known cure. Its health effects can range from a skin rash to a heart attack.
There are three main types of lupus:
> Systemic lupus erythematosus (eh-RITH-eh-muh-TOE-sus) is the most common form. It’s sometimes called SLE, or just lupus. The word “systemic” means that the disease can involve many parts of the body such as the heart, lungs, kidneys, and brain. SLE symptoms can be mild or serious.
> Discoid lupus erythematosus mainly affects the skin. A red rash may appear, or the skin on the face, scalp, or elsewhere may change color.
> Drug-induced lupus is triggered by a few medicines. It’s like SLE, but symptoms are usually milder. Most of the time, the disease goes away when the medicine is stopped. More men develop drug-induced lupus because the drugs that cause it, hydralazine and procainamide, are used to treat heart conditions that are more common in men.
During his stay at Cedars-Sinai, the rapper’s longtime friend Kevin Hart paid him a visit with fellow comedian Dick Gregory. “So happy to see my brother @nickcannon getting back to himself. Nothing but love for you man,” Hart, 37, wrote on Instagram Monday, December 26.
The father-of-two is expecting a third baby with former Miss Arizona U.S.A., Brittany Bell.
