Nick Cannon releases poignant hospital footage

Nick Cannon has released poignant footage from his stint in hospital battling kidney failure as part of a documentary series about his health battle.

Mariah Carey's husband was hospitalised in December (11) during a family vacation in Aspen, Colorado and diagnosed with acute kidney failure, and he was back under the care of doctors in February (12) after blood clots were discovered in his lungs.

The rapper/actor was later found to be suffering from a rare form of autoimmune disease lupus, and he has now released a film about his struggle with ill health.

The first part of the documentary series, titled NCredible Health Hustle, was posted on Cannon's website on Monday (02Apr12) and shows him lying in a hospital bed at the height of his health battle.

The video also shows Cannon receiving a visit from his grandfather, being helped to dress himself, and displaying his swollen face, which is puffy from his illness.

He narrates the footage and says, "A few days ago, I was with my family in the snow, playing, having a good time. All of a sudden, I started swelling up, having shortness of breath, excruciating pain in my right side. I wake up in the hospital, a bunch of doctors telling me I've got kidney failure... This is my journey. Ups and downs. It's raw. It's personal. My setbacks and my triumphs. My pain, my grind, my life."