Anna Cardwell dead at 29: 'Here Comes Honey Boo Boo' star succumbs to 'aggressive' cancer
MILLEDGEVILLE, GEORGIA: Anna 'Chickadee' Cardwell, the eldest daughter of reality TV personality June 'Mama June' Shannon, has died at the age of 29 after a 10-month battle with stage 4 adrenal carcinoma cancer.
The tragic news came just one day after Shannon had asked fans to pray for her family as they went “through this process.” Despite past tensions, Cardwell’s illness brought the mother and daughter back together before her death.
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Anna Cardwell’s death confirmed by mother June Shannon
Shannon confirmed her daughter’s passing in an emotional Instagram post on Sunday, December 10, writing that Cardwell died peacefully at home on Saturday night (December 9) surrounded by family.
“With the breaking heart, we are announcing that @annamarie35 is no longer with us,” Shannon wrote. “She passed away in my home last night peacefully at 11:12 PM.”
Shannon went on to praise her daughter’s courageous fight against the aggressive disease that claimed her life far too soon, stating that Cardwell “gave one hell of a fight for 10 months.”
The mother of four asked for “continued prayers and thoughts” for the family during this incredibly painful time. Reps for Shannon declined to provide further comment to media outlets.
Anna Cardwell received cancer diagnosis in January after stomach pains
Cardwell, born on August 28, 1994, first began experiencing severe stomach pains earlier this year. After undergoing a series of medical tests, doctors delivered the devastating news in January that cancer had spread to her liver, kidney and lungs.
The official adrenal carcinoma diagnosis was later confirmed publicly by Cardwell’s younger sister Alana 'Honey Boo Boo' Thompson in a candid Instagram post about the challenges faced behind the scenes of even famous families.
“Yes, I’m very famous but normal sh-t happens to me and my family & y'all need to realize that ASAP,” the 18-year-old Thompson wrote about her sister’s diagnosis.
Upon learning the grim prognosis, Shannon immediately vowed to repair her strained relationship with Cardwell and be by her side during treatment.
Anna Cardwell endured four rounds of chemotherapy to no avail
In the months following her diagnosis, Cardwell underwent chemotherapy to fight the rare cancer located in the outer adrenal glands. She provided occasional social media updates to fans on her progress.
“This [photo is from] yesterday,” Cardwell wrote in May alongside a photo of her and boyfriend Eldridge Toney. “It was pretty good day but ... Cracker Barrel was good going down but not up.”
“But overall it’s going good and chemo is working we come to find,” she continued optimistically at the time. “So things are looking good.”
However, in July, Shannon shared that doctors had deemed Cardwell’s cancer as terminal after it aggressively and rapidly spread throughout her body despite four rounds of chemotherapy.
“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,” a distressed Shannon stated about her daughter’s declining health.
In addition to Shannon and her three other daughters, Cardwell is survived by her two young daughters, Kaitlyn Elizabeth, 11, and Kylee Madison, 8, whom she shared with ex-husband Michael Cardwell.
