It’s been six months since Mama June Shannon announced the death of her eldest daughter, Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell, at age 29.
As the new season of “Mama June: Road to Redemption” unfolds, viewers got a raw look at Cardwell's last days in the latest installment of the WeTV series.
Titled "One Last Family Christmas," the episode follows Cardwell's family as they struggle to accept that her health is rapidly declining.
June Shannon and her younger daughter Alana first gained fame from the TLC reality TV series "Toddlers & Tiaras," and the family then starred in its own show, called “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo,” from 2012-2014.
After being diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of adrenal cancer and undergoing several rounds of treatment, Cardwell decides to end radiation and enter hospice care.
“Seeing Anna like that kind of makes reality set in,” her sister Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird says early on in the episode.
While breaking the news to her younger sister Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson, Efird explains that Cardwell is now living at Shannon's house, "can't be left alone" and "hasn't slept in three days."
Thompson, who is away at college in the middle of finals season, declares that she wants to do everything she can to return home and see her sister before she passes away.
"She’s my sister, so if I gotta come home, I’ll come home," she says.
Meanwhile, Efird has been busy preparing a Christmas extravaganza to boost Cardwell's spirits. She's encouraged to hear that Thompson can come home for a visit, then everything changes.
Overnight, Cardwell's health declines further and the family calls the hospice nurse, who says she believes Cardwell is "transitioning."
In a confessional interview, Shannon describes her fragile state of mind.
"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 children to visit Cardwell and witnesses firsthand how much her condition has changed. She and Shannon begin to call family members to let them know they should come say their goodbyes if they're able.
Shannon has a rocky relationship with her own mother, but encourages her to visit Cardwell.
"I allowed that because my mom and (Anna) were close," Shannon says in a confessional interview.
This gesture touches Efird, who offers the following reaction in her own 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 things "a minute, an hour at a time," Efird tries to see if Thompson can change her flight to make it home 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 next 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 visit Cardwell, she learns that her sister hasn't eaten in four days and isn't drinking a lot. She talks to Cardwell, saying that she just finished her first semester of college. Through muffled speech, Cardwell says something that sounds like, "I'm so proud of you Alana."
In a confessional interview, Thompson gets emotional while describing the impact 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 outside of her house a few hours later, explaining that Cardwell likely only has “maybe a day” left.
“The last days of her life, it’s just a lot,” she says.
Cardwell passed away surrounded by her loved ones. 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 without 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 losing 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."
