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Mama June Explains How Family Is Remembering Anna Cardwell After Her Death: ‘It’s a Struggle’
June “Mama June” Shannon and daughter Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird reveal how their family is remembering Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell after her death during an exclusive video interview with In Touch.
“I would say for me it’s a struggle. I do carry her. She’s actually with me today,” June 44, exclusively tells In Touch about Anna while showing off a tribute bracelet she has for her eldest daughter, who passed away in December 2023 following her battle with cancer. “We have jewelry and stuff that we carry. Like, she’s always with us. We talk about her all the time.”
June and Pumpkin, 24, add that they also make sure to remember Anna for the sake of her daughters Kaitlyn and Kylee. While June currently has custody of Kaitlyn, 11, Kylee, 8, lives with her father, Michael Cardwell.
“We have Kaitlyn, too, so [that’s] definitely a consistent reminder in having Kaitlyn,” Pumpkin says about honoring her older sister. “We wanna keep that alive, too. Cause that is her mama.”
Not only did June and Pumpkin share how they’re honoring Anna, but they also give an update about how Kaitlyn is doing. “She’s actually been doing really good. She went to public school when we got her,” June says. “Her grades were a lot better than the little school that she was going to.”
Meanwhile, both Pumpkin and Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson agree that Anna’s eldest daughter is in “shock” over her mother’s death.
“We try to sit down and, like, speak with her and everything and we’re like, ‘Life looks …. the picture looks a little bit different now that your mama’s not here,’” June explains. “I don’t think it’s honestly fair that Anna’s not raising Kylee and Kaitlyn. Like, I shouldn’t be doing it and Michael shouldn’t be doing it. It should be Anna. Period point blank. I said it. I’ve always said it to people.”
While the family says that Kaitlyn is doing well in light of the situation, they add that they have not been in contact with Kylee. “Anna and Michael had a rocky past and things like that, so I mean, it is what it is,” Pumpkin says about the former couple, who split in 2017. “I respect his wishes, but I do think that Kylee and Kaitlyn really struggle with that because they’ve always been together.”
June confirmed Anna died following her battle with stage 4 adrenal carcinoma on December 10, 2023. “With the breaking heart, we are announcing that [Anna] is no longer with us,” she wrote via Instagram at the time. “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. 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.”
Fans can watch Anna’s final days as Mama June: Family Crisis airs on Wetv Fridays at 9 p.m. ET.
