Eldridge Toney, the widower of Anna Cardwell, reveals that residing in the couple's shared abode was a constant reminder of his profound loss. In an intimate conversation with PEOPLE, Toney reflected upon his heart-wrenching decision to relocate over a year after his beloved wife's passing. Cardwell, just 28 years old, succumbed to stage 4 adrenal carcinoma in December 2023, having been diagnosed with the illness the previous January.
"Our relocation to that house marked the dawn of her arduous journey with cancer," Toney recounted, his voice tinged with deep emotion. "Every nook and cranny of that dwelling relentlessly served as a poignant reminder of her valiant struggle against the disease." He continued, his words painting a vivid picture, "Every evening after work, I would withdraw into the sanctuary of my room, shutting myself off from the outside world. Over time, the weight of it all became insurmountable."
Toney expresses that the new environment of his February 2025 home brought about a welcome transformation. "Relocating to this new house was undoubtedly one of the best decisions I could have made," says Toney, who also appears in the current season of Cardwell's mother's show, Mama June: Family Crisis. "It felt like a fresh start, filled with novel sights and the comfort of a new nest. It wasn't a perpetual trigger of painful memories."
In February 2024, Toney bravely confronted the challenge of sorting through his wife's belongings, which he had left untouched since her passing. "I hadn't stepped into the bedroom, as everything remained untouched from the day she left," he confided in PEOPLE. "Our last night in that room was the eve before she decided to enter hospice care." He continued, "The room, with all her possessions in their original places, was overwhelming. It was a source of anxiety and, paradoxically, a sanctuary of sorts."
Yet, Toney recognized that it was time to pack away some of Cardwell's treasures. "I meticulously folded her clothes and placed them in bins, along with other meaningful items," he recounted. "I hung her wedding dress back in the closet and gently closed the door." At that time, he admitted that sleeping in their shared bedroom wasn't yet an option for him. "I'm working towards it," he said. "It's a gradual process. Some days, I simply sit in there, not to sleep, but to immerse myself in her presence. I'm gradually spending more time in the room, hoping that one day, sleeping there won't feel so daunting."
The couple's love story began in 2017, shortly after Cardwell's divorce from her first husband, Michael Cardwell, with whom she shared daughter Kylee Madison, born in 2015. Cardwell was also the doting mother of Kaitlyn Elizabeth, born in 2012. Their love culminated in marriage on March 4, 2023, in Wilkinson County, Georgia.
In the immediate aftermath of his wife's death, Toney poured his heart out to PEOPLE about his grief. "It keeps hitting me anew," he said. "Life will never be the same." He added that the notion of returning to their home without Anna and their daughters was "incredibly difficult to comprehend. It's going to be incredibly lonely. Each passing day, it becomes harder."
Mama June: Family Crisis airs every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on WE tv.
