Two brothers, Gabriel and Sebastian Shemirani, told the BBC news program Panorama that their sister Paloma, who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, died 7 months after their mother convinced her to refuse chemotherapy.
Their mother was a conspiracy theorist
Kate Shemirani is a prominent anti-vaxxer and conspiracy theorist, whose sons are now blaming for the death of their sister – her daughter – Paloma’s death.
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Paloma died in 2024 after refusing to undergo chemotherapy for cancer.
The brothers opened up about it
In an interview with the BBC program Panorama on Monday, June 23, Gabriel and Sebastian Shemirani said that their mother believed in a variety of conspiracy theories while they were growing up.
She believed in popular conspiracies like that the September 11th attack on the World Trade Center was an “inside job” and that the Sandy Hook school shooting was staged.
Kate Shemirani was diagnosed with cancer
The siblings, who grew up in the English town of Uckfield said that their mother’s anti-science views were strengthened when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012.
While she underwent surgery to remove her cancer, she still only credited her recovery to juices and coffee enemas.
Paloma kept in touch with her mother
The two brothers shared that they had stopped speaking to their mother after their parents split, but that Paloma, who was Gabriel’s twin, still kept in touch with her.
Sebastian told the BBC, “Paloma’s strategy was to appease, to be sweet, to try and win the love that she hadn’t been granted earlier.”
She was given a positive prognosis
Paloma was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in late 2023, and was given a positive prognosis.
This means she had an 80% chance of survival with chemotherapy – without it, the cancer would be fatal, as per the BBC’s report.
Paloma was convinced against chemotherapy
Although it was her best chance at survival, Paloma was convinced to turn down chemotherapy after her mother visited her at the hospital.
She decided she would treat her cancer with Gerson therapy instead, which involves juices, supplements, and enemas. This type of therapy is not approved for treatment of cancer, as per the National Cancer Institute.
Paloma died a few months later
While placed under her mother’s care, Paloma was put on life support after suffering a heart attack in July 2024. A few days later, she died at 23 years old.
Kate proclaimed that her daughter’s death was a murder
Responding to Paloma’s death, Kate proclaimed in posts on X that her daughter had been murdered, with her death being covered up.
Kate wrote, “Medicine is a lie and what we once believed to be healthcare is now a homicide service.” She later also called Paloma’s death “one big massive manslaughter case.”
Sebastian blamed his mother for Paloma’s death
Talking to the BBC, Sebastian blamed his sister’s death on their mother.
He 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.”