Mama June Shares What Anna 'Chickadee' Cardwell Wanted and 'Kept Repeating' in Her Final Days

After all, who else knows her child more than a mother? Before Mama June's daughter Anna "Chickadee" Cardwell died of stage 4 cancer, the matriarch knew her daughter's end was near. In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, she opened up about her beloved daughter's last words that she kept repeating while getting treatment for her life-threatening disease. 

The Mama June: Family Crisis star said, "We knew after we came back from our last vacation on December the 4th as we went to Gatlinburg. That's where she wanted to go. We went there the last week of November instead of July 4th. Well, the 5th. I kind of knew something was up when we were in and out the last couple of days, but we adored our time."

"Once she came back here and she [had] seen the nurses and all of that, they were just telling us that she was starting to transition, which I just thought it was because she was out from the trip and stuff like that. But no, it really was she was just transitioning," continued Mama June. 

Although her death naturally took a toll on their lives, the loss brought the family closer than ever. "We did get closer during that. Because that's really what Anna kept repeating, 'I want to spend more time with family. I want to spend more time together." As a result of her wish, the family did in fact set aside their differences and came together to have a good time, "We came together and made that happen." 

29-year-old Cardwell bid goodbye to her family after a battle with stage 4 adrenal cancer in December 2023. She starred in a reality TV show Here Comes Honey Boo Boo alongside sister Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson. Mama June announced her death in an Instagram statement, "Our hearts are broken, Anna Marie Cardwell is no longer with us. Anna passed at 11:12 pm last night at her mother, June Shannon's home in Milledgeville GA," per TODAY.

Meanwhile, her sister Thompson aka Honey Boo Boo, also shared her grief through a social media post, "This is one post I wish I didn't have to make. Last night we all surrounded Anna with love & let her know it was okay to go. Unfortunately, around 11 pm Anna took her last breath. Watching my 29-year-old sister this last year battle this horrible disease hasn't been easy. Anna was a fighter & still is." 

Luckily, for Mama June and her family, her husband Justin Stroud has been a significant support system. "I tell a lot of people he didn't have to do what he [has] done. But me and him, we took Anna to every treatment. He was mainly the one helping get the kids back and forward to school, [and] stuff like that. He was a great support. My kids call him."