Mama June‘s daughter, Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell, spent her final moments surrounded by love, claims her husband, Eldridge Toney.
Toney disclosed during a recent interview that his late wife’s dying wish revolved around their two daughters — Kaitlyn Elizabeth and Kylee Madison.
The reality television star was diagnosed with stage 4 adrenal carcinoma in her lung, kidney, and liver in January and passed away on Saturday, December 9.
Anna ‘Chickadee’ Cardwell Wants Her Children To Hold On To Her Memory
One week after Mama June Shannon’s eldest daughter peacefully died in her sleep, her husband opened her dying wish.
“The day before she passed, we had our talk and said our goodbyes. Her dying wish was for her girls to grow up knowing who their mother was,” Toney recalled. ” And I promised I would do right by the girls always. I will spend my life doing right by Anna and the girls.”
Even though Toney was the one to learn about Cardwell’s wish, the couple was not alone at the time. According to the doting husband, who secretly walked down the aisle with the mother of two in March, they were surrounded by family as it was Kylee’s eighth birthday.
She was surrounded by her sisters — Jessica “Chubbs” Shannon, Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson, and Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird — along with her mother. Recalling the period, Toney told PEOPLE Magazine:
“Everyone was crying and freaking out because we all knew what was happening. I did my best to be calm for her. I rubbed my hands through her hair, held her hand, and told her it was going to be OK. I was holding her hand when she took her final breath.”
As for their secret wedding, marriage records revealed that Cardwell and Toney had their ceremony on March 4 in Wilkinson County, Georgia. The late housewife allegedly pushed for the ceremony upon learning of her cancer diagnosis.
During that period, she emphasized her desire to walk down the aisle while still feeling strong enough for a wedding ceremony. Cardwell and Toney ultimately realized the dream during the month she reportedly commenced chemotherapy.
Insiders claimed that the lovebirds’ wedding had close family members in attendance, with the camera crew documenting the event for her family’s WE TV reality show, “Mama June: From Not to Hot.”
It is significant to mention that the heartbreaking news of Cardwell’s passing was confirmed on social media by her mother. While expressing her family’s profound grief over the passing of the 29-year-old, Mama June wrote on Instagram:
“With the breaking heart, we are announcing that @annamarie35 is no longer with us. She passed away in my home last night peacefully at 11:12 PM. She gave one h— 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. We love y’all and continued prayers and thoughts for our family [during] this difficult time.”
Mama June Has Taken Custody Of One Of Cardwell’s Kids
In the days following Cardwell’s death, sources revealed that her mother, Mama June, had taken over looking after her oldest daughter Kaitlyn. One insider asserted that the family had a pre-established plan for Kylee to live with her biological father, Michael, in the eventuality of Cardwell’s death.
The source also revealed that Mama June and Kaitlyn share a strong bond, with the 11-year-old being her first grandchild. The move was also supported by the family, who collectively agreed that having the preteen at her grandma’s house was the most suitable arrangement.
Prior to the disclosure, Mama June informed the public that the family was making arrangements for them to pay their final respects to Cardwell at the Williams White-Columns Funeral Home in Gordon, Georgia, on Wednesday, December 13.
“I know I look a hot mess, but my mind is so emotionally and mentally mindf—– right now,” the 44-year-old began in a video uploaded to social media.
She continued, “It’s so quiet in here, the machines aren’t running. She’s not sitting in here watching cooking shows and it’s just so quiet. The chair that she was in, you know, nobody is sitting in it right now because it has a blanket and a pillow that she used, and that’s where she passed away at.”
After admitting that she had no idea “how to describe the pain” of losing her daughter, the “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” alum highlighted Cardwell’s wish for fans to be part of the grieving process.
“Anna wouldn’t have it any other way, any other way, but for me to let ya’ll know,” she added. “So ya’ll, the fans, can say goodbye to her, we decided as a family ’cause she wanted us to go live here on TikTok, on social media, but we’re not doing that.”