Two brothers are blaming their sister’s death on their mom’s beliefs. Paloma Shemirani died at age 23, just seven months after being diagnosed with cancer. But when the young English woman was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, her prognosis seemed good. Doctors told her that with chemotherapy, there was an 80% chance she would recover.
Without treatment, however, the cancer could be fatal. Paloma ended up refusing treatment, a decision that her brothers believe was influenced by their conspiracy theorist mom.
Their mother is known for promoting conspiracy theories.
Paloma’s mom, Kate Shemirani, has used social media to promote medical misinformation. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, she promoted several conspiracy theories related to the virus and vaccines, BBC reported. She referred to vaccination teams as “death squads” and called COVID-19 a “scam.”
In 2012, Kate was diagnosed with cancer herself. According to BBC, she had the cancerous tumor surgically removed. However, she has said that she is “cancer-free” due to alternative remedies, like juices and coffee enemas.
In her videos, Kate, who was a nurse for Britain’s National Health Service in the 1980s, has referred to those who choose to treat cancer with chemotherapy as “ill-informed.”
Her conspiracy theories are not limited to medical misinformation. Her sons, Gabriel and Sebastian Shemirani, said they grew up hearing about how 9/11 “was an inside job” and how Britain’s royal family “were shape-shifting lizards.”
The brothers believe their sister was influenced by their mom’s beliefs.
Gabriel and Sebastian no longer have a relationship with their mother, but their sister Paloma continued to be in contact with her. Some of Paloma’s loved ones noticed how her mom’s beliefs may have influenced her in some ways, the BBC reported. For example, she was also skeptical of the COVID-19 vaccine.
When it came time for Paloma to make a decision about her cancer treatment, she spoke to alternative health practitioner Patrick Vickers, who recommended Gerson therapy. There is no scientific evidence that supports this therapy, which involves relying on juice therapy, a vegetarian diet, supplements, and coffee enemas in attempt to treat cancer.
Additionally, while Paloma was in the hospital, Kate reportedly texted her then-boyfriend saying, “TELL PALOMA NOT TO SIGN [OR] VERBALLY CONSENT TO CHEMO OR ANY TREATMENT.”
Paloma’s brothers blame their mom for her death.
After Paloma was diagnosed with cancer, Gabriel tried to meet up with her, but she told him that she could not go outside. According to Gabriel, their mom made Paloma believe that the “bad air” outside was a threat to her recovery.
Speaking to BBC, Gabriel and Sebastian blamed their mother for Paloma’s death. “My sister has passed away as a direct consequence of my mom’s actions and beliefs and I don’t want anyone else to go through the same pain or loss that I have,” Sebastian told the news outlet.
Their mother has offered a different explanation.
Kate, who is no longer able to practice as a nurse due to her conspiracy theories, wrote to the BBC saying “Paloma died as a result of medical interventions given without confirmed diagnosis or lawful consent.” The news outlet stated that there’s no evidence that suggests this is true.
On June 23, she responded to the a claim about the recent BBC story on X. “Let them all fall on their swords,” Kate wrote. “My silence has been for a reason.” She claimed that “the documents do not lie” and at some point, she will share them.
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