Earlier this year, tragedy struck as Mama June revealed her firstborn had been diagnosed with cancer.
At the time, the family opened up about the battle they were facing and what the future might hold for them.
Now, however, the family’s worst fears have sadly come true.
Mama June Shannon and her four children are beloved all over the world after making a name for themselves in 2012 on the hit child pageant show Toddlers and Tiaras. In summer, the family made a heartbreaking announcement that the eldest child, Mama June’s daughter Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell, was battling stage 4 adrenal carcinoma.
“She’s actually doing pretty good, she’s handling it pretty good,” Mama June said in an update about her daughter’s health.
Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird was also present and agreed, adding that her older sister “genuinely is OK.”
“She can still go to the grocery store, she can drive herself, she’s still able to take the kids to and from places,” Lauryn added, she also noted that Anna “doesn’t have hair, she has no eyebrows, she doesn’t have any hair on her arms or anything like that.”
The family shared at the time that Anna had undergone four rounds of chemotherapy.
“A lot of people thought that it was gonna make her sick and stuff like that, [but] she’s able to bounce back pretty quick,” Lauryn said. Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson, added to the comment saying: “It does wear her body down sometimes, but other than that, she’s pretty good.”
Devastatingly, it has now been revealed that Chickadee passed away over the weekend on Saturday (December 9).
Mama June announced the news in an Instagram post, writing: “With the breaking heart, we are announcing that Chickadee is no longer with us. She passed away in my home last night peacefully at 11:12 PM. 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 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 doing this difficult time.”
Thompson paid tribute to her sister, writing on Instagram, “I really don’t know what to say as my heart is completely broken. Watching my 29 year old sister this last year battle this horrible disease hasn’t been easy. Anna was a fighter & still is.”
Prior to her passing, Chickadee had been documenting her cancer journey on Instagram. In May, she wrote about her experience on her third round of chemotherapy. “It was pretty good day but did get a little and Cracker Barrel was good going down but not up,” she wrote. “But overall it’s going good and chemo is working we come to find so things are looking good.”
She is survived by her her two daughters, Kaitlyn Elizabeth, ten, and Kylee Madison, seven.
We are sending our thoughts and prayers to Chickadee’s family, friends, and fans at this tragic time.
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