Nick Cannon’s Son Dies From Cancer, Soccer Legend Pelé Treated for Colon Cancer and More

Nick Cannon’s five-month-old son died from cancer.

Talk show host and actor Nick Cannon shared this week that his five-month-old son, Zen, died from a brain tumor this past weekend.

Zen was diagnosed with a brain tumor earlier this year, according to Cannon, 41, who opened up about the tragic loss on his talk show, “Nick Cannon Show.”

When Zen was two months old, Cannon noticed he had an oddly large head as well as abnormal breathing. What Cannon and Zen’s mother, Alyssa Scott, expected to be a routine process at the doctor eventually led to surgery.

They learned that Zen had fluid buildup in his head and a malignant tumor that needed to be removed.

"We were faithful and hopeful for that time. We carried on, he was still just playing with his brothers and sisters, I embraced every moment," Cannon said.

Over Thanksgiving, the tumor began to grow, and Zen’s condition worsened. He died shortly after as a result of the cancer.

"Love to Alyssa, love to her extended family, and love to each and every mother who's ever had to lose a child, had to deal with a child with special needs … Mothers are superheroes,” he said.

In a heartfelt Instagram post, Scott wrote about Zen and their painful loss.

“Oh my sweet Zen. The soreness I felt in my arm from holding you is slowly fading away. It’s a painful reminder that you are no longer here,” she wrote.

Pelé was hospitalized to treat a colon tumor.

Famed Brazilian soccer player, Pelé, was hospitalized this week for a scheduled procedure to treat a colon tumor.

His daughter, Kely Nascimento, wrote via Instagram that her father will be home in time to celebrate the holidays with his family.

“This was not a surprise,” she said. “It was already scheduled and is part of the treatment.”

Pelé, 81, has experienced a number of recent health issues including hip surgery that caused him to be unable to walk without assistance.

During his career, he helped his national team win the 1958, 1962 and 1970 World Cups. Considered by many to be one of the all-time greatest soccer players, he is also Brazil’s highest scorer — having achieved 77 goals in 92 games, according to ESPN.

A cancer survivor who is unable to have children plans to buy Christmas presents for underprivileged children.

Rosy Cervantes, who was diagnosed with cervical and uterine cancer 10 years ago, has been collecting hundreds of toys and gifts for children.

She plans to give out Christmas presents to children in her area — Highland, California — whose families cannot afford to buy them gifts. She explained that she knows exactly the feeling, because she was homeless as a child for five years.

Cervantes, who is unable to have her own children due to cancer, said that this is one way in which she fills that missing piece of her life.

“I fill that void that I don't have children with this,” she told NBC Los Angeles.

She created the IE Community Children’s Christmas Toy Drive to collect donations and volunteer with others to wrap the donated gifts.

"You see their smiles, you see their little eyes and you see how happy they get," Cervantes said.

TV anchor Matt Stewart announced that his wife received a late-stage cancer diagnosis.

Kansas City, Missouri, TV reporter Matt Stewart — who works for Fox 4 News — shared that his wife, Chrissy, has received a late-stage cancer diagnosis.

Chrissy Stewart, a 43-year-old dietitian, was diagnosed with angiosarcoma — a rare cancer with a poor survival rate. The cancer originated in one of Stewart’s ovaries, and she was told that she has less than a 5% chance of living for more than 10 years.

The couple, who has three young children, has received thousands of messages of support from people on social media.

“I don’t smoke, I work out, I get plenty of rest, I drink lots of water, I don’t over-consume alcohol, I’m a vegetarian — I mean, I’m at very low-risk of getting cancer because of lifestyle things,” Chrissy said in a video posted by The Kansas City Star.

“So I have really chosen to not dwell on that, on why or where or how — it just happened,” she added. “And I was one of the unlucky ones.”

Stewart, who is shown in the video hugging his wife, shared his thoughts and feelings on the diagnosis. He explained that after several days of heavy crying, they’ve decided the best approach is one with positivity.

“You can’t choose sometimes the things that happen to us, all we can do is choose how we react to them, how you respond,” he said. “… We owe it to ourselves to try to make the most of every moment together from here on.”

For more news on cancer updates, research and education, don’t forget to subscribe to CURE®’s newsletters here.