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Mama June’s Daughter Anna ‘Chickadee’ Cardwell Diagnosed with Stage 4 Cancer, Family Confirms
June “Mama June” Shannon’s daughter Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell has been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, as Anna’s sister Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson confirmed via her Instagram Stories on Thursday, March 30.
“[And] this is what I mean when I say you never truly know what somebody is going through at home, no matter how famous they are,” the “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” alum, 17, wrote across a photo of a TMZ article via her Instagram Stories that day. “Yes, I’m very famous, but normal sh–t happens to me and my family [and] y’all need to realize that asap.”
Anna’s mother took to Facebook to ask fans for prayers during this difficult time.
“This is been a very emotional road for the family but we are sticking together me n justin n Josh are doing everything we can do and to b there for Anna Marie Cardwell and Eldridge Toney and the girls through this journey just pray for all of us especially her girls we appreciate y’all so much [sic],” Mama June, 43, wrote that same day.
Hours earlier, TMZ reported that Anna, 28, was diagnosed with stage 4 adrenal carcinoma in January.
The form of cancer “is a rare disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the outer layer of the adrenal gland,” according to the National Cancer Institute.
After complaining about stomach aches, Anna underwent a series of tests and cancer was discovered in her liver, kidney and lung.
A source told the outlet that she underwent her first round of chemotherapy in February. Doctors are waiting to see how the TV personality reacts to the treatment before taking next steps, though her family is reportedly “very hopeful” that she will get better.
A rep for June did not immediately respond to In Touch‘s request for comment.
Anna is June’s eldest of four children. The Mama June: From Not to Hot star, 43, shares her first born with her ex David Dunn.
June is also the mother to daughters Jessica Shannon and Lauryn “Pumpkin“ Shannon with ex Michael Anthony Ford and Alana with ex Mike “Sugar Bear” Thompson.
Anna is a mother herself and shares daughters Kaitlyn, 10, and Kylee, 7, with her estranged husband, Michael Cardwell, whom she was married to from 2014 until 2017.
She is currently in a relationship with Eldridge Toney. While she has been vocal about wanting to have kids with Eldridge, Anna admitted that she is hesitant to get married following her split from Michael.
“You never know what will happen,” the reality star told The Sun in June 2021. “I always tell him marriage is just a piece of paper saying, ‘Hey you’re married.’”
She added, “I told myself if we make it past four years, then we can talk more about it.”
Anna also opened up about suffering four miscarriages in an attempt to become pregnant with baby No. 3. “It’s been a long, bumpy road for us,” she told the outlet at the time. “It’s been difficult.”
The Walmart employee continued, “I don’t make enough progesterone. I don’t have enough in my system, so it keeps the baby from getting enough nutrition.”
Anna’s diagnosis was revealed just one month after she reunited with June and her sisters to attend their mother’s wedding to Justin Stroud. The couple legally tied the knot in March 2022, but had a bigger ceremony one year later so that their loved ones could be included.
