Six months have passed since Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell, Mama June Shannon’s eldest daughter, passed away at the age of 29. In the most recent episode of the WeTV series, “Mama June: Road to Redemption,” viewers were given an unvarnished glimpse at Cardwell’s final days as the new season progresses. The episode, “One Last Family Christmas,” centres on Cardwell’s family and their struggles in coming to terms with her fast deteriorating health.
Following their success on the TLC reality TV series “Toddlers & Tiaras,” June Shannon and her younger daughter Alana debuted in their own show, “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo,” which ran from 2012 to 2014. Cardwell chooses to stop radiation therapy and move into hospice care after receiving a diagnosis of an uncommon and aggressive form of adrenal cancer and going through multiple rounds of treatment.
Early on in the show, Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird, her sister, remarks, “Seeing Anna like that kind of makes reality set in.” Efird informs Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson, her younger sister, that Cardwell is now residing at Shannon’s home and that he “can’t be left alone” and “hasn’t slept in three days.” During finals season, Thompson, who is away at college, says she wants to do all in her power to get back home and see her sister before she dies. “She’s my sister, so if I gotta come home, I’ll come home,” she continues.
To lift Cardwell’s spirits, Efird has been busy planning a lavish Christmas celebration. When she learns that Thompson is welcome to visit, she is encouraged, but after that, everything is different. Cardwell’s condition worsens over night, and when the family phones the hospice nurse, she informs them that she thinks Cardwell is “transitioning.” In a candid interview, Shannon talks about her mental health issues.
Regardless of how much you were aware that it will occur, it is still f—- like, what? It seems as though you need a minute to comprehend it,” she explains. When Efird visits Cardwell with her kids, she observes personally how much her condition has altered. Shannon and she start calling relatives to tell them that, if they are able, they should come say their final goodbyes.
Although Shannon and her mother don’t get along well, Shannon is encouraged to see Cardwell. “My mum and (Anna) were close, so I allowed that,” Shannon admits in a candid interview. “At the end of the day, Mama has done right by Anna because that is one thing that Anna asked for was for everyone to get along, at least for her,” Efird says in response to this gesture, indicating that it touches her.
