Current:Home > ContactMama June Shares Why Late Daughter Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell Stopped Cancer Treatments -Visionary Wealth Guides
Mama June Shares Why Late Daughter Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell Stopped Cancer Treatments
View
Date:2025-04-15 12:27:52
June "Mama June" Shannon is reflecting on a difficult time for her family.
The reality star detailed the last months of her eldest daughter Anna "Chickadee" Cardwell's cancer battle and decision to enter hospice before she died in December at age 29.
"It was difficult watching her have to go through chemo," June told E! News in an exclusive interview. "Having to go through radiation and having to do immunotherapy, and then trying to get into hospice long before we actually could."
"It wasn't the fact that she was tired of fighting because even to her last day, she fought," the 44-year-old emphasized. "She was a feisty one even during her last days."
But June recognized the emotional and physical toll fighting stage 4 adrenal carcinoma was for Anna.
"I think she was just over it," she recalled, "and she just wanted to spend her last days doing what she wanted to do."
The Mama June: Family Crisis star—who is also mom to Jessica Shannon, Lauryn Efrid and Alana Thompson—admitted it was difficult convincing Anna's doctors to approve hospice care.
"Watching her try to say, 'Okay, I'm done with treatment, I just want to live the rest of my life the way I want to live it,'" June shared. "They wouldn't listen."
Anna—who was mom to Kaitlyn, 11, and Kylee, 8, the latter of whom she shared with ex Michael Cardwell—continued her pleas until doctors relented.
"She said, 'Okay, I'm just not coming back and I want to do home health hospice,' and they finally signed off," June explained. "We tried to for a long time before that."
In January, June and her husband Justin Stroud were granted temporary custody of Kaitlyn, who she said moved in with her a month before Anna died and that she's been caring for her since.
"I tell Kaitlyn all the time, 'I'll never replace your mother,'" she told E! News. "I say this all the time, but Kylee shouldn't have to be raised by Kylee's dad. I shouldn't be raising Kaitlyn. Anna should be here raising her children. It's not fair for any of us that Anna's gone, especially for her children."
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News AppveryGood! (16235)
Related
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- Deaths of 4 women found in Oregon linked and person of interest identified, prosecutors say
- At Haunted Mansion premiere, Disney characters replace stars amid actors strike
- Last Year’s Overall Climate Was Shaped by Warming-Driven Heat Extremes Around the Globe
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- A Crisis Of Water And Power On The Colorado River
- These Stars' First Jobs Are So Relatable (Well, Almost)
- Two Areas in Rural Arizona Might Finally Gain Protection of Their Groundwater This Year
- Trump suggestion that Egypt, Jordan absorb Palestinians from Gaza draws rejections, confusion
- Warming Trends: Swiping Right and Left for the Planet, Education as Climate Solution and Why It Might Be Hard to Find a Christmas Tree
Ranking
- Jorge Ramos reveals his final day with 'Noticiero Univision': 'It's been quite a ride'
- Do you live in one of America's fittest cities? 2023's Top 10 ranking revealed.
- Credit Card Nation: How we went from record savings to record debt in just two years
- Florida’s Red Tides Are Getting Worse and May Be Hard to Control Because of Climate Change
- Moving abroad can be expensive: These 5 countries will 'pay' you to move there
- A Deep Dive Gone Wrong: Inside the Titanic Submersible Voyage That Ended With 5 Dead
- Most Agribusinesses and Banks Involved With ‘Forest Risk’ Commodities Are Falling Down on Deforestation, Global Canopy Reports
- The Dominion Lawsuit Pulls Back The Curtain On Fox News. It's Not Pretty.
Recommendation
What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
Line 3 Drew Thousands of Protesters to Minnesota This Summer. Last Week, Enbridge Declared the Pipeline Almost Finished
Shein lawsuit accuses fast-fashion site of RICO violations
Why does the Powerball jackpot increase over time—and what was the largest payout in history?
Former Syrian official arrested in California who oversaw prison charged with torture
Most Agribusinesses and Banks Involved With ‘Forest Risk’ Commodities Are Falling Down on Deforestation, Global Canopy Reports
US Taxpayers Are Spending Billions on Crop Insurance Premiums to Prop Up Farmers on Frequently Flooded, Unproductive Land
Global Warming Can Set The Stage for Deadly Tornadoes