Mama June reunites with estranged daughter Anna 'Chickadee' Cardwell as she battles stage 4 cancer
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Mama June has reportedly reunited with her oldest daughter Anna "Chickadee" Cardwell as she battles stage 4 cancer. The 28-year-old Anna was diagnosed with stage 4 adrenal carcinoma in January after she began complaining about stomach aches. Following some tests, doctors determined that she has cancer in her liver, lung, and kidney.
The 43-year-old ‘From Not to Hot’ star recently accompanied Anna, her partner, Elridge Toney, and her daughter Kaitlyn as they visited the hospital for a chemo session. In pictures obtained by the Sun, the group was seen leaving the hospital along with Anna, 28, who wore a blue headscarf after losing her hair. Another picture showed Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson and Lauren "Pumpkin" Efird joining Anna for a family portrait in the hospital. June’s husband, Justin Stroud, also joined the family in the heart-warming snapshot.
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June is 'stepping up' to care for her daughter
The smiling June was also pictured sitting at Anna's bedside as she flashed a joyful grin despite undergoing chemotherapy. Previously sources told TMZ that Cardwell underwent her first round of chemotherapy last month and has already lost hair as a result. It was also revealed that Anna’s devastating diagnosis has rapidly brought her close to her mother. “June and Anna were slowly working on building back their relationship about a year ago, but Anna’s recent stage 4 adrenal carcinoma diagnosis has rapidly brought the pair even closer,” another family source told TMZ.
Insider also stated that the ‘Family Crisis’ star is “stepping up” to care for her daughter amid her cancer battle. “June immediately knew she had to be there for her daughter after the diagnosis, and feels the past is simply in the past,” the source added. “She’s now doing whatever she can to help, including watching Anna’s kids.” The mother-daughter duo may look close now but they had a major fallout two years back when reports claim that Shannon got back with her ex-boyfriend, Mark McDaniel, who is accused of molesting Anna at the age of eight.
The complicated relationship between Mama June and Cardwell
In the past, Anna claimed to have had "no relationship" with June who has "never apologized" for her past mistakes. “You know, I've never had a conversation with her where she was like ‘Oh I'm sorry for what happened or, I'm sorry for this. It’s like she is always brushing everything off and like acting like everything is fine and nothing happened,” Anna told the Sun. However, the duo rekindled their relationship in the past year as Anna attended June’s wedding with Stroud in February 2023. "We wanted to have a small and very intimate wedding, so we didn’t have any groomsmen or bridesmaids," June reportedly said, adding, "All four of my girls walked me down to Justin and his mom walked him down the aisle."