A young woman at the age of 23, who reportedly opposed vaccines, passed away after she declined chemotherapy following a cancer diagnosis.
Paloma Shemirani died in July after refusing chemotherapy for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of cancer affecting the lymphatic system.
Medical professionals had given Paloma a high likelihood of survival if she underwent chemotherapy. Unfortunately, she succumbed to a fatal heart attack brought on by the illness on July 24, 2024, seven months after the diagnosis.
Paloma’s mother, Kate Shemirani, known for promoting Covid vaccine conspiracy theories online, held doctors accountable for her daughter’s death.
During an inquest, Paloma asserted that NHS staff had violated her human rights, even likening their procedures to those used by the Nazis during World War II. She rejected the cancer diagnosis, calling it an ‘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 expressed, fearful that chemotherapy might affect her fertility.
During the inquest, it was revealed that Paloma was enthusiastic about alternative treatments, which included a strict plant-based diet, juices, supplements, and coffee enemas, believing she would ‘make a full recovery.’
Paloma’s siblings, Gabriel and Sebastian Shemirani, spoke to the media before the inquest, attributing their sister’s death to their mother’s conspiracy beliefs.
Kate, who was deregistered as a nurse in 2021 for spreading Covid-19 misinformation, has become a key figure in the conspiracy theory community online.
Sebastian, speaking to the BBC’s Panorama programme, stated, “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.”
Gabriel also shared, “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 claims in an effort to prevent further deaths due to medical misinformation circulated on social media.
According to her sons, Kate’s conspiracy theories trace back to 2012 after she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had surgery to remove the tumor but attributes her recovery to alternative treatments.
Documents obtained by the BBC indicated that Paloma’s decision to refuse treatment might have been swayed by her mother’s views.
Paloma’s then-boyfriend, Ander Harris, alleged that Kate sent him a text urging her daughter not to consent to chemotherapy or any treatment verbally or otherwise.
Hospital staff had raised safeguarding concerns internally, citing ‘a concern regarding parental influence,’ the BBC reported.
However, since Paloma was an adult, it was ultimately her decision to consent or refuse treatment.
Contacted by the BBC about these allegations, Kate did not address them directly, instead blaming the NHS for Paloma’s death.
“Paloma died as a result of medical interventions given without confirmed diagnosis or lawful consent,” Kate alleged, although the BBC found no evidence to support these claims.