It’s been six months since Mama June Shannon announced the death of her eldest daughter, Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell, at age 29.
As the brand new season of “Mama June: Road to Redemption” unfolds, viewers bought a uncooked take a look at Cardwell’s final days within the newest installment of the WeTV sequence.
Titled “One Last Family Christmas,” the episode follows Cardwell’s household as they wrestle to simply accept that her health is rapidly declining.
June Shannon and her youthful daughter Alana first gained fame from the TLC actuality TV sequence “Toddlers & Tiaras,” and the household then starred in its personal present, known as “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo,” from 2012-2014.
After being diagnosed with a uncommon and aggressive kind of adrenal most cancers and present process several rounds of treatment, Cardwell decides to finish radiation and enter hospice care.
“Seeing Anna like that kind of makes reality set in,” her sister Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird says early on within the episode.
While breaking the information to her youthful sister Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson, Efird explains that Cardwell is now dwelling at Shannon’s home, “can’t be left alone” and “hasn’t slept in three days.”
Thompson, who’s away in school within the center of finals season, declares that she needs to do all the pieces she will to return residence and see her sister earlier than she passes away.
“She’s my sister, so if I gotta come home, I’ll come home,” she says.
Meanwhile, Efird has been busy getting ready a Christmas extravaganza to spice up Cardwell’s spirits. She’s inspired to listen to that Thompson can come residence for a go to, then all the pieces modifications.
Overnight, Cardwell’s well being declines additional and the household calls the hospice nurse, who says she believes Cardwell is “transitioning.”
In a confessional interview, Shannon describes her fragile state of thoughts.
“No matter how much you knew it was going to happen, it is still f—- — like, what? It’s kinda like it takes a minute for you to process it,” she says.
Efird takes her youngsters to go to Cardwell and witnesses firsthand how a lot her situation has modified. She and Shannon start to name members of the family to allow them to know they need to come say their goodbyes in the event that they’re ready.
Shannon has a rocky relationship along with her personal mom, however encourages her to go to Cardwell.
“I allowed that because my mom and (Anna) were close,” Shannon says in a confessional interview.
This gesture touches Efird, who affords the next response in her personal 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.”
When the nurse says they’re taking issues “a minute, an hour at a time,” Efird tries to see if Thompson can change her flight to make it residence sooner.
“Anna’s transitioning so, so quick and the one wish that I have right now is that Alana just makes it on time to say goodbye to Anna, say what she wants to say to Anna and let her know she loves her because I can’t imagine the toll that would take on Alana if she doesn’t get to say goodbye. I really don’t think that there’s much time left,” Efird says.
Thompson arrives the following morning and Shannon tells her Cardwell has been asking for her.
“I do recommend that y’all say y’all’s goodbyes today,” she tells her daughters.
When Thompson goes in to go to Cardwell, she learns that her sister hasn’t eaten in 4 days and is not ingesting quite a bit. She talks to Cardwell, saying that she simply completed her first semester of faculty. Through muffled speech, Cardwell says one thing that seems like, “I’m so proud of you Alana.”
In a confessional interview, Thompson will get emotional whereas describing the affect this had on her.
“I knew what she was trying to (say), that she was proud of me and stuff when I told her that I finished my first semester of college. It was just crazy because I wanted Anna to be able to see me graduate college and now that’s not even gonna happen,” she says.
A tearful Shannon speaks to producers exterior of her home a number of hours later, explaining that Cardwell probably solely has “maybe a day” left.
“The last days of her life, it’s just a lot,” she says.
Cardwell handed away surrounded by her family members. The following day, Shannon announced her daughter’s death on social media, saying, “I feel like she won her battle because Anna’s no longer suffering.”
The episode ends with Efird reflecting on life with out Cardwell.
“We can’t see her again. Now I have to live with that. You know, I gotta pull myself together to keep going,” she says.
Thompson opens up about dropping her sister, saying, “We were all just sitting there talking and she took the last breath. I really wished she’d seen me graduate, but that’ll be OK because she’s gonna be watching over me.”