Having to watch your child depart this world before you is one of the most dreadful fates one can be plastered with. In one fell swoop, dreams are destroyed, and legacies are cut short.
Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell, who was the oldest daughter of reality TV star Mama June Shannon, passed away at the age of 29. Shannon shared the news of her daughter’s passing through a heartfelt Instagram post on Sunday.
The caption, which was beneath a family picture, read, “With the breaking heart, we are announcing that @annamarie35 is no longer with us,” adding, “She passed away in my home last night peacefully at 11:12 PM.” Speaking in tandem with the battle her daughter had to fight against cancer, the 44-year-old star continued writing,” She gave one hell of a fight for 10 months she passed away with her family around her like she won’t and we will be updating y’all with more information as we get it today,” and concluded her post saying, “We love y’all and continued prayers and thoughts for our family doing this difficult time.”
Two days before her daughter’s death, Shannon posted a plea on Instagram where she wrote, “Y’all we r asking for prayers for our family as we are going through this process we really appreciate y’all for all the thoughts and prayers and we will update y’all whenever we can just know that all of your thoughts and your prayers are very much appreciated during this time,” adding the hashtag “#CancerSucks.
View this post on Instagram
Shannon’s other daughter, 23-year-old Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird, also shared her mother’s post and wrote a message of her own below it, which said, “Say a prayer for our family.”
Tracing the origins of the diagnosis, Cardwell went through her first round of chemotherapy in March after doctors detected cancer in her lung, liver, and kidney following a series of tests after she complained about experiencing abdominal pain. She herself provided an update of her treatment on Instagram on May 10th with the caption signaling her third round of chemotherapy, “This [was] yesterday,” she wrote alongside a photo of herself and her boyfriend, Eldridge Toney. “It was pretty good day but did get a little and Cracker Barrel was good going down but not up 😂 but over all it’s going good and chemo is working we come to find so things are looking good.”
The same month, Shannon opened up about her mental state following her daughter’s diagnosis in People Magazine, where she stated, “I don’t go live [on TikTok] a lot because of Anna. I’m already emotionally drained because of that,” adding, “I’m not being mean with the emotion… I’m not mentally [or] emotionally prepared to deal with 5,000 people asking me about Anna that day.” She continued, “You don’t know whether to scream. You don’t know whether to laugh. You don’t know whether to holler. You don’t know who to blame,” referencing the cancer diagnosis.
Late May, Cardwell, who is herself a mother of two daughters, Kaitlyn Elizabeth, born in 2012, and Kylee Madison, born in 2015, enjoyed a special family moment when Kaitlyn celebrated her elementary school graduation. She shared his moment as a Facebook post. She wrote, “I am one proud mama right now,” adding, “I also can’t believe I am going to have a middle schooler and a second grader,” she continued, “Give me a minute while I go cry my eyes out. I am so proud of my girls and everything they have accomplished.”
Cardwell’s heritage lives on within her two daughters.