Eldridge Toney reveals his wife’s “dying wish” and says he “did my best to be calm for her” and “told her it was going to be OK” during her last moments.
Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell’s husband, Eldrige Toney, is opening up about his wife’s final moments.
In an interview with PEOPLE, Toney recalled the heartbreaking moment when Cardwell took her last breath, sharing that he held her hand as she died.
He shared that Cardwell’s loved ones said their goodbyes shortly before she tragically passed away on Saturday at 29 after a battle with cancer.
Alana ‘Honey Boo Boo’ Thompson Shares Emotional Video Tributes to Sister Anna ‘Chickadee’ Cardwell
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“Everyone was crying and freaking out, because we all knew what was happening. I did my best to be calm for her,” Toney said. “I rubbed my hands through her hair, held her hand and told her it was going to be OK.”
“I was holding her hand when she took her final breath,” he added.
Just a few months after Cardwell was diagnosed with stage 4 adrenal carcinoma, Toney and Cardwell tied the knot. Toney told PEOPLE that before his wife’s passing, he promised her that he would keep her memory alive for their daughters: Kaitlyn, 10, and Kylie, 7.
“The day before she passed, we had our talk and said our goodbyes,” he recalled. “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, announced the tragic news of her daughter’s death on Sunday, sharing a family photo 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 11:12pm,” she captioned her post. “She gave one hell of a fight for 10 months.”
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In the wake of the heartbreaking news, Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson mourned the death of her older sister, posting the same group family shot on Instagram.
“Last night we all surrounded Anna with love & let her now it was okay to go,” she wrote in part, adding that her older sister “was in so much pain,” but the family takes solace in knowing “she is at peace now.”
“I really don’t know what to say as my heart is completely broken,” continued Thompson, noting that it’s been so difficult watching Cardwell “battle this horrible disease.”
“Anna was a fighter & still is,” she wrote. “Lord please wrap your arms around her 2 babies & our family as the next couple of days will make this all a reality.”
Honey Boo Boo and Family Pay Tribute to Anna ‘Chickadee’ Cardwell, Dead at 29
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Thompson said how grateful she was that her sister “waited til I was home to take your last breath!”
The Here Comes Honey Boo Boo star shared that while she knows Anna would have loved to watch her graduate college, “I know you will forever cheer me on in Heaven!”
“We will all make sure your legacy lives on forever,” she continued. “And I promise to always make sure to celebrate our birthday like you never left!
She concluded her message on a somber note, writing, “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!”
Cardwell was laid to rest on Wednesday, with approximately 70 of her close family and friends gathering at the Williams White-Columns Funeral Home in Gordon, Georgia to pay their respects, according to PEOPLE.
