A coroner has ruled that a mother's influence 'more than minimally' contributed to the death of her 23-year-old daughter, who refused chemotherapy for non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Paloma Shemirani died in July 2024 after declining conventional treatment that doctors said offered an 80% chance of recovery.
At an inquest in Maidstone, senior coroner Catherine Wood stated that if Paloma had been supported to accept her diagnosis and consider chemotherapy with an open mind, she 'probably would have followed that course'. The coroner said Kay Shemirani, known online as Kate Shemirani, 'took a leading role in advising Paloma in respect of and facilitating access to alternative treatments'.
Consultant haematologist Arunodaya Mohan told the court that Paloma initially 'nodded in agreement' to treatment recommendations, but after discharge she 'completely discharged the treatment'. Mohan expressed concern that Kay Shemirani was influencing her daughter, though Paloma maintained it was her own decision.
Paloma, a Cambridge graduate, had been estranged from her mother until her cancer diagnosis, after which she moved in with her. In written statements to the High Court, Paloma cited her 'background in natural healing' for declining chemotherapy and said she was 'delighted' with alternative treatments.
Kay Shemirani, a former nurse struck off in 2021 for spreading COVID-19 misinformation, had referred her daughter to psychiatrist Ali Ajaz, who appeared on her podcast. Paloma's twin brother Gabriel told the inquest he blamed his mother entirely, saying she 'sacrificed Paloma's life for her own principles'.
