Mama June Shannon is opening up almost two months after the tragic death of her daughter, Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell.
Anna died in December 2023 after a battle with stage 4 adrenal carcinoma. She was 29.
“For me personally, I would say I have my good days, I have my bad days. Certain things that I’ll do remind me of her,” Mama June shares in an interview with the Daily Mail alongside her family.
The mother of four gets choked up talking about her final days with Anna, saying, “The final things we made sure we said… I can’t tell you how many times we said, ‘I love you.'”
Anna’s sister, Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird, also shares that her sister “fought until the very end.”
“You could tell at the end, she was ready. She was done,” Lauryn says. “She had fought as much as she could, so just telling her, ‘It’s OK.'”
Lauryn notes that it’s important to the family that Anna is always with them in spirit.
“I think it’s just keeping her memory alive for her kids and always reminding them, ‘Your mama loves you, and your mama’s always here with you.,'” Lauryn shares.
“We do talk abut her quite a bit. We carry her with us,” Mama June agrees.
Anna was mom to two daughters — Kaitlyn, 11, and Kylee, 8 — and married Eldridge Toney in a private ceremony that will be televised at a later date.
“I think Kaitlyn is still in shock. Unlike Kylee, Kaitlyn was there when Anna took her last breath,” Mama June reveals.
“I think my fondest memory is planning the wedding,” Lauryn adds. “We did all of that here… for a couple of hours we got to not think about the cancer.”
“Having the opportunity to actually marry her and being in that moment,” Eldridge recalls when asked about his favorite memory with Anna.
Though Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson did not participate in the interview, the family notes that the 18-year-old reality star was able to see her sister before she died and to be with the family during the difficult time.
The family has appeared on several reality shows and spin-offs including Toddlers and Tiaras, Here Comes Honey Boo-Boo,and Mama June: From Not to Hot.
The wedding of Anna and Eldridge will be featured on Mama June: Family Crisis, which premieres Friday, Feb. 9 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on WE tv.
