What We Know About Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell’s Relationship With Her Sisters

Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson of “Toddlers and Tiaras” fame wrote a touching tribute to her older sister Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell, who died on December 9, 2023, due to complications from adrenal cancer. Taking to Instagram, the reality star shared details of her sister’s final moments, telling fans that Cardwell was surrounded by her loved ones. Thompson also expressed difficulty in coping with the loss, which is indicative of how close Cardwell was to her before her passing.

“Last night we all surrounded Anna with love & let her know it was okay to go,” Thompson penned. “I really don’t know what to say as my heart is completely broken. Watching my 29 year old sister this last year battle this horrible disease hasn’t been easy. Anna was a fighter & still is.” She went on to say that her love for Cardwell is ever-enduring and that she will make sure that she’ll remember her sister for as long as she lives.

Fans of “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” can attest to the deep bond between Thompson and Cardwell. But their close relationship isn’t exclusive to the two of them. It also extends to their other sisters, Jessica “Chubbs” Shannon and Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird, although it didn’t happen until much later.

Anna’s Troubled Relationship with Her Mother and the Impact on Her Sisters

Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell’s bond with her three sisters, Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson, Jessica “Chubbs” Shannon, and Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird, has been adversely affected because of her tumultuous relationship with their mother, Mama June. Cardwell accused Mama June’s ex-boyfriend of sexual abuse when she was a child, which the latter purportedly ignored. She also pursued legal action against her mother after “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” was canceled, claiming that she and her daughter were denied a total of $300,000 in earnings from the show.

Because of all the drama, Cardwell notably stepped away from the limelight after her stint in the reality series, limiting her contact with her sisters. In an interview with Distractify in 2022, Efird revealed that while she and Cardwell were fine, they weren’t as tight as they used to be. “I’m not, like, super close to her,” she said. “Not [close] like me and Jessica and Alana are, but we do talk.”

That same year, however, signs of reconciliation started surfacing, with a source telling The U.S. Sun that Cardwell has been helping Efird tend to her kids. “Anna has been over quite a bit lately, lending a hand with the twins and Bentley, while her daughters entertain Pumpkin’s oldest daughter, Ella,” they said. Cardwell also told the outlet in a separate interview that while her relationship with her mother was fractured, her bond with her sisters remained intact.

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Anna’s Illness Brought the Sisters Closer Together

It wasn’t until Anna Cardwell’s cancer diagnosis that the family finally found it in themselves to reconcile. It was in January 2023 that Cardwell was diagnosed with stage 4 adrenal carcinoma, with TMZ reporting that the family had been “very hopeful” that she would recover and that they had banded together to help out.

True enough, Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird told People that she and Alana Thompson would make it a point to visit Cardwell to keep her company. “For me and Alana, we come up usually one to two times a week, sit with her through treatment, talk to her and go back to the Airbnb and maybe do dinner and things with her,” she said. “And then when she’s home for the rest of the month, we all just try to check in and make sure she doesn’t need anything or isn’t feeling terrible.”

Jessica Shannon, who had remained notably quiet throughout the entire ordeal, also wrote a poignant tribute to Cardwell on Instagram upon her passing. “It’s hard to think that my sister is gone she was so young and had a bright future ahead,” she said. “She will always be with us and we love and miss her already !! Y’all keep our family and them two sweet baby of hers in your prayers !! Anna I love you and just know we got Katilyn and Kylee for you they will be taken care of.”