A 23-year-old woman who died after refusing chemotherapy for non-Hodgkin lymphoma was 'adversely influenced' by her mother, a conspiracy theorist and former nurse, a coroner has ruled. Paloma Shemirani died in July 2024 after declining conventional treatment, despite doctors giving her an 80% chance of recovery.
At an inquest in Maidstone, Kent, coroner Catherine Wood said the influence of Paloma's parents, Kay and Faramarz Shemirani, 'more than minimally' contributed to her death. 'If Paloma had been supported and encouraged to accept her diagnosis and considered chemotherapy with an open mind she probably would have followed that course,' Wood said.
Kay Shemirani, known online as Kate Shemirani, was struck off as a nurse in 2021 for spreading Covid-19 misinformation. A consultant haematologist at Maidstone Hospital, Arunodaya Mohan, told the inquest she was concerned that Kay influenced Paloma's decision. Paloma initially agreed to treatment but later declined after moving back in with her mother.
Paloma's twin brother, Gabriel, told the inquest he blamed his mother entirely for his sister's death, saying she 'sacrificed Paloma's life for her own principles'. Paloma had been estranged from her mother until her cancer diagnosis and had graduated from Cambridge University before her illness.
The inquest heard that Paloma, in written statements to the High Court, said she declined chemotherapy partly due to her 'background in natural healing' and that she was 'delighted' with alternative treatments. However, the coroner concluded that with proper support, Paloma would have chosen chemotherapy and likely survived.
