Anna ‘Chickadee’ Cardwell’s distraught husband reveals final promise to ‘make sure our daughters remembered their mama’ as she lay on her death bed

Anna ‘Chickadee’ Cardwell’s distraught husband opened up about his final promise to his wife as the reality TV star lay on her deathbed.

Toney Eldridge, 28, promised to ‘make sure [their] daughters remembered their mama’ and ‘spend [his] life’ sharing her stories with the kids as they said their final goodbyes.

Chickadee died earlier this month at the age of 29, having previously revealed she was battling adrenal carcinoma that progressed to stage 4.

As she battled the cancer, Chickadee and Toney secretly got married in March after a longtime romance that began in 2017. 

Toney now revealed his final pledge to his late wife, who is also survived by daughters Kaitlyn, 8, and Kylee, 11, in a devastating interview with People. 

‘The day before she passed, we had our talk and said our goodbyes,’ Toney said, remembering his wife’s final moments. 

‘Her dying wish was for her girls to grow up knowing who their mother was. And I promised I would do right by the girls always. I will spend my life doing right by Anna and the girls.’ 

‘Those are my girls,’ Toney said. ‘I promised Anna I would do right by them and make sure they remembered their mama. And that is what I will do.’ 

Chickadee welcomed Kylee with her first husband, Michael Cardwell, and had Kaitlyn during a previous relationship.

Insiders have told TMZ  the last three weeks of Chickadee’s life, which she spent in hospice, could be shown on ‘Mama June: Family Crisis.’ 

Evidently, Chickadee wanted to help viewers understand the experiences of cancer patients, and consequently kept the camera crew with her into her final hours.

But the team behind the reality show declined to film her death and will not shoot her funeral, in the interests of allowing the family to grieve privately. 

Their reticence comes despite the fact Chickadee herself was allegedly willing to allow both her death and funeral to appear on reality TV.

Her view is said to have been that she was reliably frank with her fans and hoped for them to understand all the suffering she underwent.

Mama June, 44, announced her daughter’s death in an Instagram post after the star’s tragic death. 

Two days before her somber announcement, the reality star had asked her fans and followers on social media to pray for her ailing daughter.

‘With the breaking heart, we are announcing that @annamarie35 is no longer with us,’ June began her heartbreaking post. ‘She passed away in my home last night peacefully at 11:12 PM.’

‘She gave one hell of a fight for 10 months she passed away with her family around her like she won’t and we will be updating y’all with more information as we get it today [sic],’ Shannon continued.

‘We love y’all and continued prayers and thoughts for our family [during] this difficult time,’ she added. 

Accompanying the caption was a photo of Mama June and her family, including Anna, who sported short hair amid her cancer treatments.

Anna was diagnosed with stage four adrenal cancer in January after complaining of stomach pain.

The Mayo Clinic reports adrenal carcinoma is a rare cancer that affects the adrenal glands in the kidneys. The adrenal glands produce hormones that deliver instructions to virtually every organ and tissue in the body.

The mother of two girls, Kaitlyn, 11, and Kylee, eight, underwent chemotherapy and immunotherapy in an attempt to beat her cancer. 

Over the summer, the From Not to Hot star revealed that Anna’s cancer was terminal. 

‘We know it’s terminal. She’s stage 4. She’s not gonna go into remission,’ she wrote, adding: ‘We’ve all accepted that, so I just tell people one day at a time ’cause you never know.’

She took to social media to ask her 758,000 Instagram followers for prayers.

‘Y’all we are asking for prayers for our family as we are going through this process,’ the Here Comes Honey Boo-Boo alum wrote.

‘We really appreciate y’all for all the thoughts and prayers and we will update y’all whenever we can,’ she said, adding, ‘just know that all of your thoughts and your prayers are very much appreciated during this time, she explained, adding the hashtags, ‘#mamajune #cancersucks #family #prayers.’

She didn’t mention her daughter explicitly, but her followers knew immediately she was referring to Cardwell.

‘Anna sending you many many many prayers. God bless you sweetheart. ❤️,’ one concerned fan wrote.

‘Lord please have Anna in your hands and help her and her family In this time that they need you,’ added another.

One follower empathized with June’s struggle, writing, ‘From a mom of a cancer warrior.. angel.. my sincere thoughts and prayers for you all.’

June’s 23-year-old daughter, Lauryn ‘Pumpkin’ Efird reposted adding, ‘Say a prayer for our family.’

Cardwell’s 18-year-old little sister Alana ‘Honey Boo Boo‘ Thompson took to social media to remember her as well.

Sharing with her 1.1 million followers, Thompson wrote, ‘This is one post I wish I didn’t have to make.’

She shared the same family portrait as her mom did along with a heartbreaking caption as she grieved the fresh loss.

‘Last night we all surrounded Anna with love & let her know it was okay to go. Unfortunately around 11pm Anna took her last [breath],’ she said.

The note continued, ‘Anna was in so much pain last night but now as a family we all know she is at peace now. I really don’t know what to say as my heart is completely broken.’

The college student voiced: ‘Watching my 29 year old sister this last year battle this horrible disease hasn’t been easy. Anna was a fighter & still is. Lord please wrap your arms around her 2 babies & our family as the next couple of days will make this all a reality.’

She went on to say that her bigger sister waited until she arrived home to transition.

‘I’m so glad that you waited til i was home to take your last breath! I would’ve loved for you to get to see me graduate college but i know you will forever cheer me on in heaven!’ she said in the caption.

‘We will all make sure your legacy lives on forever. And i promise to always make sure to celebrate our birthday like you never left! The sky looks a little bit different today. We will always love you Anna,’ a heartbroken Honey Boo Boo added.

And finally, she said, ‘You hit me hard with his one Anna but i know [you’re] in a better place now and pain free forever!’

The average age of patients with adrenal cancer is 46, but it can occur in people of any age, even in children, according to the American Cancer Society.

Adrenocortical carcinomas start in the outer layer of the adrenal glands, which are next to the kidneys. The adrenal glands are small glands producing hormones.

Most growths that form in the adrenal glands are noncancerous.

Shannon’s reality show will include her daughter Cardwell’s final decline with cancer.