Anna 'Chickadee' Cardwell's Husband Recalls Her Final Breath: 'I Was Holding Her Hand' (Exclusive)
"I did my best to be calm for her. I rubbed my hands through her hair, held her hand and told her it was going to be OK," Eldridge Toney tells PEOPLE of the moments before his wife's death at 29
Anna Cardwell Instagram
Anna Cardwell and Eldridge ToneyEldridge Toney's last moments with his wife Anna "Chickadee" Cardwell are seared into his memory.
Cardwell was diagnosed with stage 4 adrenal carcinoma in January, and in the days before she died on Saturday at age 29, Toney tells PEOPLE the reality star's family gathered together to support her and say their reluctant farewell.
“Everyone was crying and freaking out, because we all knew what was happening,” he recalls. “I did my best to be calm for her. I rubbed my hands through her hair, held her hand and told her it was going to be OK.”
He shares, “I was holding her hand when she took her final breath.”
Anna Cardwell/Instagram
Anna "Chickadee" Cardwell and Eldridge ToneyToney, who married Cardwell in March after she learned of her cancer diagnosis, shares that he vowed to his wife to keep her memory alive for her daughters — Kaitlyn Elizabeth, born in 2012, and Kylee Madison, born in 2015.
“The day before she passed, we had our talk and said our goodbyes,” he says. “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.”
Cardwell's mother Mama June Shannon confirmed the Toddlers & Tiaras and Here Comes Honey Boo Boo star's death Sunday on Instagram.
"With the breaking heart, we are announcing that @annamarie35 is no longer with us. She passed away in my home last night peacefully at 11:12 PM," Shannon, 44, wrote next to a family photograph. The family matriarch noted that Cardwell "passed away with her family around her" and thanked fans for their "continued prayers and thoughts."
Cardwell’s family and friends gathered Wednesday for her funeral at the Williams-White Columns Funeral Home in Gordon, Georgia.
During the service (which PEOPLE was invited to attend), guests shared their favorite memories of Cardwell and agreed that she "had spunk until the very last moment." A friend she'd met working at Walmart said Cardwell was always full of life and did whatever she wanted because she didn’t care what people thought.
Cardwell's sister Lauryn "Pumpkin" Efird emphasized how Cardwell loved her two daughters, Toney and cooking chicken and dumplings with biscuits and spaghetti for everyone. She grew emotional as she questioned how their family moves on after her death.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Following Cardwell’s death, Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson, who was also in attendance at the funeral, paid tribute to her sister on Instagram: "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."
"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 wrote. "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!"
"We will all make sure your legacy lives on forever," she concluded. "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 💔. You hit me hard with his one Anna but I know your in a better place now and pain free forever!"
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.
