Update: On Dec. 9, Anna "Chickadee" Cardwell died at age 29 following a battle with adrenal cancer, her mom, reality star "Mama June" Shannon, confirmed in a social media post. This story is a health update from a day prior. Read the original post as it first ran below.
“Mama June” Shannon has a new update as her eldest daughter, Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell, continues to battle adrenal cancer.
In a video shared to Instagram, the 44-year-old kept her latest message vague and added that this will be her last post “til that time comes.”
“I just want to let y’all know that some things have changed in our life over the last few weeks that are totally out of our control. God has all the faith, all the cards, but Anna is still with us,” Shannon said in the clip.
“But as we are going through this transition, we are asking still for continued prayers for Anna, continued prayers for the family, continued for your thoughts, your appreciation — and we see your messages even though we’re not responding back to y’all.”
She continued, “I’m going to sign off, this will be my last message. When that time does come, we will also as a family come to y’all on social media because Anna would not have it any f---ing other way.”
Until that post, Shannon wrote that they are “enjoying the time and making the memories that will last us a lifetime.”
Cardwell, 29, who has been sharing updates on her health on social media, last posted on Instagram Nov. 6. Before reviewing a new food, she said she was feeling "eh" and had just finished radiation treatment.
In July, the “Mama June: From Not to Hot” star told "Entertainment Tonight" that Cardwell had just finished four rounds of chemotherapy to treat adrenal carcinoma.
“She’s actually doing pretty good,” Shannon said at the time. “She’s handling it pretty good.”
In the same interview, Shannon said that Cardwell had a stage 4 diagnosis and described her condition as “terminal.”
Shannon is also a mother to Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird, 23, and Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson, 18, who both agreed that their sister was able to handle the treatment well.
“A lot of people thought that it was going to make her sick and stuff like that, (but) she’s able to bounce back pretty quick,” Efird told "ET," explaining that the chemo had caused Cardwell to lose hair on her head and arms.
“She can still go to the grocery store, she can drive herself, she’s still able to take the kids to and from places,” she added of her older sister, who is mom to daughters Kaitlyn and Kylee.
Thompson told "ET" that the chemotherapy “does wear (Cardwell’s) body down sometimes, but other than that, she’s pretty good.”
The family previously explained that Cardwell’s daughter, Kaitlyn, is aware that her mom has been diagnosed with cancer, but might not be able to fully understand how serious the condition is.
“I think she understands that Mommy is sick, and Mommy might not be here for a while,” Efird said. “She’s 10, but she’s a lot more mature than that because she’s been raised around older people.”
Following her latest round of chemotherapy, Cardwell was left to decide her next course of action. Her mom, Shannon, said at the time that Cardwell “just wants to see how it’s going to go.”
“We don’t know what to expect because the cancer is very aggressive, and it grew from nothing to something huge on the left side of her body really fast,” Shannon said. “For me, it’s an emotional rollercoaster sometimes. Mentally it’s always on my mind.”
The reality star added, “She’s not going go into remission. We’ve all accepted that, so I just tell people one day at a time because you never know.”
Shannon originally confirmed that her daughter was diagnosed with a “very rare and very aggressive” form of cancer during a May interview with "ET." However, the mom said her daughter first noticed something wrong in August 2022.
At the time, she sought treatment for back pain, where doctors removed a cyst, according to Shannon. Soon after, her daughter’s health worsened.
By the time Cardwell received a diagnosis, the cancer had spread to her liver, spleen and lungs, Shannon said at the time.
