Days after the funeral services for his wife Anna ‘Chickadee’ Cardwell, Eldridge Toney reflected on the reality TV star’s final moments.
Cardwell, who was diagnosed with stage 4 adrenal carcinoma in January, died on Dec. 9 at the age of 29. Toney spoke to PEOPLE about being by his wife’s side as she took her breaths.
“Everyone was crying and freaking out,” Toney explained. “Because we all knew what was happening. 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.”
After Anna Cardwell was diagnosed, she and Toney married. He stated he was going to keep his wife’s memory alive for her daughters, Kaitlyn Elizabeth and Kylee Madison.
“The day before she passed, we had our talk and said our goodbyes,” Toney continued. “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.”
Toney and Cardwell started dating in 2017 after her divorce from Michael Cardwell. They moved into a double-wide trailer together on a lake in Milledgeville, Georgia in 2020.
Anna ‘Chickadee’ Cardwell Once Spoke About Having a Child With Eldridge Toney
During an interview with The U.S. Sun in 2022, Anna Cardwell spoke about how she and Eldridge Toney wanted to have a child together. However, they struggled with multiple miscarriages in 2021.
“We are trying to have a third child,” she explained. “And it’s been difficult. I’ve gone through four miscarriages and a D&C. It’s been a long bumpy road for us trying to have baby number three.”
Anna Cardwell also recalled having a miscarriage right before Christmas in 2020. Her doctors eventually informed her that she didn’t make enough progesterone, which impacted her chances of a successful pregnancy.
“We know what’s going on now,” she then continued. “And we are taking the right precautions to take care of it and make sure it stays alive and everything like that.”
Cardwell further admitted when it came to marrying Toney, she had some hesitations. “He wants to marry me, but after my first marriage, I don’t really want to get married again, because you never know what will happen. I always tell him marriage is just a piece of paper saying ‘Hey you’re married.’”
She went on to add that while she has her concerns, she was open to getting married again.