Supporting a Loved One Through Cancer
- As TLC star June “Mama June” Shannon’s eldest daughter Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell is battling with “very rare” stage 4 adrenal carcinoma, the mom of four often takes to social media to share “happy moments” while being a “grieving mom.”
- Mama June wrote a fiery comment in response to a critic slamming how she often posts on Instagram, urging her to better support her daughter. However, Mama June insists she’s been there for her daughter since her diagnosis.
- Support is essential during one’s battle with cancer, and health struggles bringing people together is something survivors have shared with us over the years.
- Adrenal carcinoma (ACC), which is also called adrenocortical cancer, is a rare cancer that starts in one or both of the small, triangular glands (adrenal glands) located at the top of your kidneys, according to Mayo Clinic.
- The two types of ACC are Functioning ACC tumors and Nonfunctioning ACC tumors. The functioning type causes your adrenal gland to create more hormones than normal. The nonfunctioning type doesn’t affect hormone production at all.
It is unknown what type of ACC Cardwell is battling.
As Chickadee continues treatment, her mom, along with her sisters/reality television co-stars, 17-year-old Alana, 23-year-old Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird, and 26-year-old Jessica “Chubbs” Shannon, have been by her side and continue to remain hopeful.
Read More“Toddlers & Tiaras” back in 2011, when Thompson was just 5 years old at the time. While keep a positive outlook on Chickadee’s cancer fight, Mama June has been taking to social media often to share some light-hearted videos, including a recent Instagram post of her doing a comical challenge/joke on her husband.
However, she was greeted with one critical comment urging her to “worry about your oldest child with cancer dude,” according to PEOPLE.
“I know if my adult child had cancer I’d drop everything and be by her side and fighting with her not doing this [posting videos on TikTok/Instagram].”
Responding to the fiery comment with a few lengthy comments, Mama June wrote, “All due respect you have no idea what you would do. She did a video saying that she’s with her all the time. Are you going to begrudge her a few moments of happiness? I am a grieving mom and believe me, when happy moments come I’m thankful for them. Maybe be a little less judgmental.”
Mama June continued with,” Well let me school you just a little bit. We speak almost on a daily basis. This [has] all been hard on all of us and she knows that. If she was really bad off, I mean come on I have common sense, we wouldn’t be going anywhere. I would be right there like we always have every time that she had a chemo treatment.
“Life doesn’t stop even though some days it feels like I’m living in a dream with all this. It’s a daily struggle for me [mentally] and [emotionally] to deal with.
“At the end of [the day], there is nothing we can change about the situation. I needed a break from reality for a minute even though it’s in the front of my mind every second of every single day. So me posting on social media doesn’t mean I don’t care or ain’t there for her during this.”
She concluded, “Until you walk a day in my shoes, you or anyone [don’t] have any idea what I deal with and struggle with.”
Earlier this year, Cardwell revealed she was diagnosed with stage 4 adrenal car carcinoma, a rare cancer that starts in one or both of the small, triangular glands (adrenal glands) located at the top of your kidneys, according to the National Cancer Institute. Adrenal glands make the hormones that instruct every organ and tissue in your body.
Cardwell was diagnosed back in January after experiencing stomach pain, family sources revealed to TMZ. Details on Cardwell’s specific type of adrenal carcinoma cancer she is battling have remained private.
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In regard to how Chickadee’s battle is going, her mom told Entertainment Tonight in a recent interview, “She’s handling it pretty good.”
“She can still go to the grocery store, she can drive herself, she’s still able to take the kids to and from places. 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,” her sister Pumpkin said.
Cardwell is preparing for immunotherapy which involves using the body’s own immune system to target cancer cells. Immunotherapy has shown great promise to help treat a wide range of cancers according to Dr. Steven Rosenberg Chief of Surgery at the National Cancer Institute.
Cardwell recently completed chemotherapy which involves drugs designed to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy can be given orally or intravenously.
What Is Adrenal Carcinoma?
Adrenal carcinoma (ACC), also known as adrenocortical cancer, is a rare cancer that begins in one or both of the small, triangular glands (adrenal glands) located at the top of your kidneys, the Mayo Clinic explains. Adrenal glands make the hormones that instruct every organ and tissue in your body.
According to The Cleveland Clinic, the adrenal cortex produces hormones, including cortisol, testosterone, aldosterone and estrogen, which “control male and female traits and body functions such as blood pressure and response to stress.”
The two types of ACC are Functioning ACC tumors and Nonfunctioning ACC tumors. The functioning type causes your adrenal gland to create more hormones than normal. The nonfunctioning type doesn’t affect hormone production at all.
This type of cancer can develop at any age, however, children younger than five years old and adults in their 40s and 50s are most likely to be affected.
“When adrenal cancer is found early, there is a chance for cure. But if the cancer has spread to areas beyond the adrenal glands, cure becomes less likely. Treatment can be used to delay progression or recurrence,” the Mayo Clinic explains.
Genetic Testing What Is It and Why Is It Important?
And although it’s unknown what exactly causes this type of cancer, this type of cancer forms when a change (mutation) occurs in the DNA of an adrenal gland cell. People born with specific genetic conditions also have a higher risk of getting this disease.
If you’re worried about a growth that has formed in your adrenal glands, you likely don’t have to stress as most growths are benign (noncancerous).
Additionally, the cancer is extremely rare as doctors only diagnose approximately one case for every million people annually. The disease also affects more women than men.
Treatment Options
Anyone diagnosed with ACC will likely first have surgery to get the tumor removed. Removal of the adrenal gland and nearby tissue may also be needed via surgery.
To prevent cancerous cells from metastasizing (spreading) to other areas of your body, treatment plans may include radiation, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy.
Finding Support During a Cancer Battle
Support is essential during one’s battle with cancer, and health struggles bringing people together is something survivors have shared with us over the years.
Breast cancer survivor Melissa Berry previously told SurvivorNet, “In some ways [cancer] can bring people together, it can make you much stronger, or it can weaken a relationship.”
“She’s just always there for me whenever something goes wrong," Melissa’s daughter Erica told us about her mother. “And I think we’re both there for each other.”
For any mother who has a daughter, you know that your bond is unbreakable. When Erica was 7 years old, she learned her mom had cancer; Melissa was 42 years old and had been diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer.
Breaking the news to your child that you have cancer can be hard for any parent, but for Erica and Melissa, it was a bonding experience. One morning, Melissa’s head was itching from the chemotherapy treatments; she couldn’t take it anymore, so she decided to shave her head.
Erica was thinking about becoming a hairdresser at the time, so when she witnessed her mother shaving her head in their bathroom, it was a dream come true. She happily helped her mother shave her head, who has since recovered from the cancer.
“It was the first big step that she really took in her whole journey,” Erica said. “It was cool to be a part of it with her.”
Supporting a Family Member Through Cancer
People like Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell can feel a wide range of emotions when confronted with a cancer diagnosis. Many may feel depressed, anxious, worried, overwhelmed, and even full of grief. Support your loved ones in the best possible way can be done by being a loving, listening ear and lending support.
Dr. Scott Irwin, director of supportive care service at Cedars-Sinai, previously spoke to SurvivorNet about the grief that may accompany a cancer diagnosis.
“Grief comes in waves,” he explained. “It often gets better over time, but at certain days, it can look like depression. And other days, people look perfectly normal and can function.”
“They’re grieving the change in their life, the future they had imagined is now different,” said Dr. Irwin, of how a person may feel after being diagnosed with cancer. “In cancer care, sometimes, we’re actually forcing some body changes that are beyond what would be normal aging, and that can be even harder for people to deal with where they don’t feel like themselves.”
Dealing With Grief After a Cancer Diagnosis
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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