A mother has made some unexpected new allegations related to the death of her 23-year-old daughter, who chose not to undergo chemotherapy.
Paloma Shemirani passed away last July after opting out of chemotherapy for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer originating in the lymphatic system. Despite medical professionals offering Paloma a strong prognosis with chemotherapy, she died seven months later after a heart attack induced by the disease on July 24, 2024.
Kate Shemirani, Paloma’s mother, is noted for disseminating Covid-19 vaccine conspiracies on social media, and she attributed her daughter’s death to the doctors. Initially, Paloma agreed to chemotherapy but later rejected it in favor of alternative treatments such as juices and coffee enemas, which her mother, a former nurse, supported.
The New York Times reported that the former student succumbed to a heart attack thought to be caused by an untreated tumor.
At Medway Coroners Court in October, Coroner Catherine Wood stated that had Paloma been ‘supported and encouraged to accept her diagnosis and considered chemotherapy with an open mind’, she might have pursued that treatment path rather than alternative therapies.
“I found Mrs Shemirani’s care of her daughter incomprehensible but not unlawful killing,” Wood told the court, with experts determining that Shemirani played a ‘leading role’ in Paloma’s decision to forgo chemotherapy.
Before the inquest, the BBC covered the story in its Panorama program, suggesting that Paloma’s rejection of medical treatment might have been influenced by her mother’s views.
Kate Shemirani has since criticized the BBC and other media outlets in a detailed statement on X. She stated: “The BBC tell lies? Panadrama caught telling lies? So they can do that to a president? So what do you think they will do to us minions?
“This is my reality. This is what was done to my daughter and to me, and I am no longer softening a single word.”
The mother further alleged that Paloma was ‘given chemotherapy drugs without consent’ among other accusations, claiming that Panorama and other media outlets were aware of these.
She stated: “That tells you everything about who they serve.”
Though the inquest suggested that the influence of Shemirani and her ex-husband, Dr. Faramarz Shemirani, ‘more than minimally’ contributed to their daughter’s death, the mother shared her perspective.
“They chose the narrative that protected the institutions. Not the truth. Not the evidence,” she continued on X. “Not the words of the young woman who lived it. Then vilified the mother who watched it.”
Shemirani concluded: “Selling their reputation to the highest bidder, performing and calling it journalism. My daughter deserved better. The public deserves better.
“This is what they did, how they did it. You are going have access to all of the notes and transcripts soon. I own that 999 call. The truth is there. Horrific.”
The BBC and the NHS have been contacted for their comments.