Her brothers have accused their mother of causing the young girl’s death.
Daughter of a conspiracy theorist died after ‘falling for mum’s theories’.
That is according to the brothers of 23-year-old Paloma Shemirani who died after refusing chemotherapy to treat a curable cancer she had been diagnosed with months prior.
An inquest will open next month into Paloma’s death.
Her mother, Kate Shemirani, a former nurse, is an advocate for ‘natural medicine’ including ‘IV nutrient therapy’ and supplements to cure disease.
Her sons are blaming her for Paloma’s refusal of treatment, which they said was a result of her mother’s influence.
The nurse was struck off the register in 2021 after sharing anti-vaccination content with millions on social media. Her videos attracted millions of viewers and have since been banned on TikTok.
Speaking to BBC’s Panorama, Paloma’s older brother, Sebastian Shemirani 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.”
Sebastian and his brother Gabriel are now calling for social platforms to take stronger action against the spread of medical misinformation.
“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,” added Gabriel.
Paloma’s parents, Kate and Faramarz have stood by their views, blaming ‘medical interventions’ for their daughter’s death.
The brothers have said that they believe their mother’s conspiracist views began in childhood, when they would listen to recordings that claimed US terrorist attacks were staged.
They claim that her anti-medicine views grew stronger in 2012 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Kate shared on social media that she cured her cancer through juices and coffee enemas.
A friend of Paloma’s, Chantelle, spoke out, saying her mother’s influence dated back to their youth.
Speaking to the BBC, she shared: “Paloma spoke about her mum curing herself, and she believed sunscreen could cause cancer.
“I remember she used to get burnt so badly at school.”
Paloma’s diagnosis came after she graduated from the University of Cambridge and began experiencing chest pain.
Doctors found a mass in her lung caused by diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.
Upon her diagnosis, she was told she had an 80 percent chance of recovery if she underwent chemotherapy.
Kate spent two days in the hospital with her daughter, and when they left, she allegedly contacted Paloma’s boyfriend, Ander Harris, asking him to prevent Paloma from starting chemotherapy.
He said Paloma had become concerned about the side effects of chemotherapy and eventually decided against it.
Gabriel had begun a legal case arguing that Paloma should have undergone an assessment of the appropriate medical treatment for her diagnosis; however, this tragically ended in July last year when Paloma died suddenly from a heart attack caused by the tumour.
The 23-year-old was initially put on life support, but it was switched off after several days.
Next month’s inquest is set to establish the circumstances surrounding Paloma’s death.
