A 23-year-old woman who was said to be against vaccines died after she refused chemotherapy treatment following a cancer diagnosis.
Paloma Shemirani died last July after she declined chemotherapy for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of cancer that develops in the lymphatic system.
Healthcare professionals gave Paloma a high chance of survival with chemotherapy – but she passed away seven months later, having suffered a fatal heart attack caused by the disease on July 24, 2024.
Kate Shemirani, Paloma’s mother, is known for sharing Covid vaccine conspiracy theories on social media and blamed doctors for her daughter’s death.
As for Paloma, she claimed her human rights had been violated by NHS staff, even comparing their practices to that of the Nazis during World War II, an inquest was told.
She denied having cancer and dubbed what doctors were telling her as ‘absurd fantasy, with no proof’.
“I do not want to undergo such a harsh treatment that could even kill me when there is a possibility this is not cancer,” she said, voicing concerns that chemotherapy may impact fertility.
Instead, the inquest heard how Paloma raved about her alternative treatment – which included a strict plant-based diet, juices, supplements, and coffee enemas – and believed she would ‘make a full recovery’.
Gabriel and Sebastian Shemirani, Paloma’s siblings, previously spoke to the press ahead of the inquest – but have blamed their mother’s conspiracy theories for their sister’s death.
Their mom Kate was struck off as a nurse in 2021 for promoting misinformation about Covid-19, and has become a prominent figure among conspiracy theorists online.
Speaking to the BBC’s Panorama programme, Sebastian said: “My sister has passed away as a direct consequence of my mum’s actions and beliefs and I don’t want anyone else to go through the same pain or loss that I have.”
Meanwhile, Gabriel added: “I wasn’t able to stop my sister from dying. But it would mean the world to me if I could make it that she wasn’t just another in a long line of people that die in this way.”
Sebastian and Gabriel have gone public with their accusations in the hope of preventing more deaths as a result of medical misinformation being spread on social media.
Kate’s sons claim their mother’s conspiracy theories began in 2012 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
She had her tumor removed through surgery, but Kate credits alternative therapies for her recovery.
Evidence shown to the BBC revealed that Paloma’s decision to turn down treatment could have been influenced by her mother’s beliefs.
Claims made by Paloma’s then-boyfriend Ander Harris say Kate urged her daughter not to ‘sign or verbally consent to chemo or any treatment’ in an alleged text message sent to him.
According to the BBC, staff at the hospital raised safeguarding concerns among themselves, expressing ‘a concern regarding parental influence’.
But it was also deemed that given Paloma was an adult, she had the capacity to make her own decisions on treatment.
When contacted by the BBC about the allegations surrounding her daughter’s death, Kate did not respond directly to the claims, but instead accused the NHS of being responsible for Paloma’s passing.
“Paloma died as a result of medical interventions given without confirmed diagnosis or lawful consent,” she claimed. There is no evidence to support her accusations, according to the BBC.