Mama June Confirms Anna 'Chickadee' Cardwell's 'Scary' Cancer Prognosis After Chemo

Mama June Shannon, who rose to fame on season 5 of "Toddlers & Tiaras" before her family landed a spinoff called "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo," has shared an update on her oldest daughter, Anna "Chickadee" Cardwell, who was diagnosed with stage IV adrenal carcinoma in January, according to TMZ. Following the news, Cardwell's oncologist came up with a course of action to attack the cancer, but it involved aggressive chemotherapy. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Mama June shared an update on her daughter as she finished up the first steps in her treatment plan. "She's actually doing pretty good. She's handling it pretty good," Shannon said. 

Now that Chickadee has been through four rounds of chemo, however, she has been given some options that could potentially add months to her life, but Chickadee isn't in a rush to try something new. "She just wants to see how it's gonna go. We don't know what to expect because the cancer is very aggressive and it grew from nothing to something huge on the left side of her body really fast," Shannon explained, adding, "For me, it's an emotional rollercoaster sometimes. Mentally it's always on my mind. We know it's terminal. She's stage 4. She's not gonna go into remission. We've all accepted that, so I just tell people one day at a time 'cause you never know."

In an Instagram post uploaded in May, Anna "Chickadee" Cardwell revealed that things were looking good when it came to her treatment — and the cancer's response. "Well going on to round 3 of chemo... Yesterday it was [a] pretty good day but did get a little and Cracker Barrel was good going down but not up. But over all it's going good and chemo is working we come to find so things are looking good," she shared. And, all in all, things are looking good for Chickadee, who has actually been handling chemotherapy with relative ease. "She can still go to the grocery store, she can drive herself, she's still able to take the kids to and from places," Chickadee's sister Lauryn "Pumpkin" Efird told Entertainment Tonight. "A lot of people thought that it was gonna make her sick and stuff like that, [but] she's able to bounce back pretty quick," she added.

And while the family remains as optimistic as they can with the cards they've been dealt, a stage IV cancer diagnosis usually means that cancer is found in more than one place in the body. In Cardwell's case, doctors found cancer in Cardwell's liver, kidney, and lung, per TMZ. The median survival rate for a patient with stage IV adrenal carcinoma can vary widely, according to Today. "The majority of patients will succumb to their cancer within a year to three years of diagnosis," Dr. Matthew Campbell told the outlet.

Anna Cardwell is a mom to two daughters, Kaitlyn and Kylee, whom she shares with her ex-husband, Michael Cardwell. In May, she celebrated major milestones with her girls. "I am one proud mama right now and I also can't believe I am going to have a middle schooler and a second grader give me a minute while I go cry my eyes out. I am so proud of my girls and everything they have accomplished," she captioned a Facebook post. Chickadee appeared to be in good spirits as she posed with the girls. Of course, the past several months have been very tough for the whole family — and it has been a big adjustment for Anna's kids.

"The 10-year-old is aware, I don't think she fully understands," Lauryn "Pumpkin" Efird said of Kaitlyn while chatting with Entertainment Tonight. "I think she understands that Mommy is sick and Mommy might not be here for a while... She's 10, but she's a lot more mature than that because she's been raised around older people," she added. Mama June Shannon also weighed in saying, "Kaitlyn was always close with Anna, but now she doesn't go anywhere without Anna. I get that because she's thinking if Anna goes somewhere then maybe Anna might not be at the house when she gets back."

Following news of Anna Cardwell's diagnosis, June Shannon spoke with Entertainment Tonight about the type of cancer that was found. "It's very rare and very aggressive," she said back in May. "There's days where I don't know [whether] to scream, get mad, or be happy. As her mom, we've had talks you don't want to have with your child. We know what the endgame is and we are prepared for that. You're never prepared, but we know what could happen," she added.

Nevertheless, the family is doing the best they can to stay positive. "Honestly, who's not to say a year from now they'll have a cure. The medical field is growing every single day. There's always something. Think about how quick they came out with a COVID vaccine and things like that. I truly believe eventually there will be a cure for some kind of cancer," Lauryn Efird told Entertainment Tonight in July. Of course, we all hope that's the case.