'our Sister Died Of Cancer Because Of Our Mum's Conspiracy Theories'

Gabriel and Sebastian Shemirani watched pinch interest arsenic their mother Kate roseate to notoriety during nan pandemic, yet getting struck disconnected arsenic a caregiver for promoting misinformation astir Covid-19.

Then, their sister Paloma was diagnosed pinch cancer. Doctors told her she had a precocious chance of endurance pinch chemotherapy. But successful 2024, 7 months later, she died - having refused nan treatment.

The brothers blasted their mother's anti-medicine conspiracy theories for Paloma's decease astatine 23 - arsenic crab doctors show BBC Panorama these beliefs are becoming much mainstream.

Kate Shemirani has not responded straight to nan allegations we raised, but she has publically blamed nan NHS for her daughter's death.

She and her ex-husband, Paloma's begetter Faramarz Shemirani, wrote to america saying they person grounds "Paloma died arsenic a consequence of aesculapian interventions fixed without confirmed test aliases lawful consent". The BBC has seen nary grounds to substantiate these claims.

Paloma's elder relative Sebastian says: "My sister has passed distant arsenic a nonstop consequence of my mum's actions and beliefs and I don't want anyone other to spell done nan aforesaid symptom aliases nonaccomplishment that I have."

Both brothers opportunity they contacted maine astir Paloma successful nan dream they could forestall different deaths, and they judge societal media companies should return stronger action against aesculapian misinformation - which nan BBC has recovered is being actively recommended connected respective awesome sites.

"I wasn't capable to extremity my sister from dying. But it would mean nan world to maine if I could make it that she wasn't conscionable different successful a agelong statement of group that dice successful this way," says Gabriel.

For Panorama and BBC Radio 4's Marianna successful Conspiracyland 2 podcast, I pieced together really this young Cambridge postgraduate came to garbage curen that mightiness person saved her life, pursuing an online way and interviewing group adjacent to her.

And I recovered that conspiracy mentation influencers specified arsenic Kate Shemirani are sharing once-fringe anti-medicine views to millions - which tin time off susceptible group astatine consequence of superior harm.

It is getting harder to conflict aesculapian misinformation because of nan prominence of figures specified arsenic Robert F Kennedy Jr, who person antecedently expressed unscientific views - says oncologist Dr Tom Roques, vice-president of nan Royal College of Radiologists, which besides represents crab specialists.

When you person a US wellness and quality services caput "who actively promotes views for illustration nan nexus betwixt vaccines and autism that person been debunked years ago, past that makes it overmuch easier for different group to peddle mendacious views," he says.

"I deliberation nan consequence is that much harmful replacement treatments are getting much mainstream. That whitethorn do group much progressive harm."

Since becoming Health and Human Services Secretary, Mr Kennedy has said he is not anti-vaccine, and that he conscionable supports much information tests.

Paloma and her copy Gabriel, on pinch Sebastian and their younger sister, grew up successful nan mini Sussex municipality of Uckfield, wherever they were exposed to conspiracy theories astatine home, her brothers say.

The "soundtrack" to their schoolhouse runs, Gabriel says, was conspiracy theorist Alex Jones talking astir really nan Sandy Hook schoolhouse shooting was staged aliases 9/11 "was an wrong job".

The brothers opportunity it was their begetter who first sewage into conspiracy theories, which piqued their mother's interest. The children absorbed outlandish ideas, including that nan Royal Family were shape-shifting lizards, says Gabriel. "As a young child, you spot your parents. So you spot that arsenic a truth," he says.

Sebastian believes their mum utilized her ideas arsenic a measurement of controlling them. On 1 occasion, Kate Shemirani decided wi-fi was vulnerable and switched it disconnected astatine home, he says, ignoring his pleas that he had to taxable GCSE coursework. "That only fed nan joyousness that she had for utilizing her irrational strategy of beliefs to power me," he says.

According to her sons, Kate Shemirani's anti-medicine views were accelerated successful 2012, erstwhile she was diagnosed pinch bosom cancer.

Even though she had nan tumour removed done surgery, she credits replacement therapies for her betterment and says online really she utilized a programme including juices and java enemas to go "cancer-free". She doesn't usage nan connection cured.

Paloma absorbed immoderate of these ideas, says Chantelle, 1 of her champion friends from school. "Paloma said astir her mum curing herself, and she believed sunscreen could origin cancer. I retrieve she utilized to get burned truthful severely astatine school," she says.

After their parents divided up, Gabriel and Sebastian became estranged from their mother. But Paloma maintained interaction pinch her, moreover erstwhile she went disconnected to study astatine Cambridge successful 2019.

"Paloma's strategy was to appease, to beryllium sweet, to effort and triumph nan emotion that she hadn't been granted earlier," says Sebastian.

Messages Paloma shared pinch her then-boyfriend Ander Harris - and which he has shared pinch nan BBC - uncover a narration pinch her mother that had moments of emotion and care, but besides times erstwhile Paloma saw it arsenic toxic and abusive.

Over Christmas 2022, she told Ander her mother was blaming her for different children not coming location for Christmas. "I'm truthful so truthful sick of being abused", she wrote, suggesting pinch an expletive that this curen happened each nan time.

Her mother kept coming into her room and "being mean", Paloma said successful 1 message, adding that her mother had deed her. Paloma near for a friend's house. She later shared her parting connection to her mother pinch Ander, saying it was "the past straw. You wounded maine each clip I fto you successful and I ne'er ever will again. I'm beyond hurt".

Back astatine university, Paloma seemed to beryllium moving distant from her mother's beliefs astatine times. Chantelle says she began eating nutrient and utilizing fluoride toothpaste. But some Chantelle and Ander opportunity she remained sceptical astir nan Covid-19 vaccine and refused to person it.

In precocious 2023, not agelong aft graduating, Paloma began to person thorax pains and breathing difficulties. She went to nan hospital.

Doctors suspected a tumour, but Ander says he and Paloma, "one of nan smartest group I've ever met", were hopeful astatine first that it would move retired not to beryllium malignant. Paloma made ray of it, nicknaming nan tumour "Maria nan Lung Mass", he says.

But connected 22 December, Paloma and Ander went to Maidstone Hospital wherever doctors gave her nan test of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Untreated, this type of crab tin beryllium fatal, but doctors told Paloma she had an 80% chance of betterment if she had chemotherapy.

Paloma told her mother nan news. Ander says Paloma still wanted her support, moreover though their narration had precocious been done a unsmooth patch. Kate Shemirani said she would travel to nan hospital. Paloma was worried astir seeing her, though, and said to aesculapian unit astir her concerns, her then-boyfriend says.

Evidence seen by nan BBC suggests Paloma's reasoning could person been influenced by her mother during nan 2 days she was an inpatient astatine Maidstone Hospital.

Kate Shemirani texted Ander to say: "TELL PALOMA NOT TO SIGN [OR] VERBALLY CONSENT TO CHEMO OR ANY TREATMENT."

Ander and his ain mother, who was besides there, raised concerns pinch infirmary unit astir Kate Shemirani's beliefs and her narration pinch Paloma.

Medical unit discussed safeguarding concerns astir Paloma among themselves and wrote that they had "a interest regarding parental influence" connected her. But they besides thought that she did person nan capacity to make her ain decisions.

For advice, Paloma reached retired to a erstwhile partner of Kate Shemirani called Patrick Vickers. Paloma had a bully narration pinch him, Ander says. He is besides an replacement wellness practitioner.

When Paloma asked him astir nan "80% chance of cure" nan doctors had said chemotherapy would offer, Mr Vickers said that was "exaggerated". He encouraged her to commencement Gerson therapy and to possibly see chemotherapy if her symptoms did not amended aft six weeks.

Mr Vickers told america that immoderate "assertions that I played a domiciled successful her [Paloma's] decease are legally inaccurate". He besides shared documents pinch nan BBC successful support of Gerson therapy.

Gerson therapy involves a strict plant-based diet, on pinch juices, supplements and java enemas. Some group declare - without technological grounds - it tin beryllium utilized to dainty a scope of cancers.

Paloma was worried astir nan antagonistic broadside effects of chemotherapy, Ander tells me, arsenic it tin origin fatigue, sickness, hairsbreadth nonaccomplishment and impact fertility. Nursing unit said to Paloma astir egg-freezing and wigs erstwhile she was diagnosed.

But nan kindness Cancer Research UK says Gerson therapy tin besides person terrible broadside effects, including dehydration, inflammation of nan bowel, and bosom and lung problems.

At immoderate constituent during nan 2 days successful hospital, Ander says, Paloma made up her mind. She decided not to prosecute chemotherapy - astatine slightest for nan clip being - and would effort Gerson therapy to commencement with.

On 23 December, Kate Shemirani sent Ander a sound statement giving him instructions to thrust Paloma to her house, saying she had arranged doctors for her. She suggested Paloma's clip pinch a friend she wanted to spot should beryllium constricted connected Christmas Day - and said successful nan connection that they could "see her for possibly half an hr aliases immoderate here, aliases they tin do it connected FaceTime".

Ander says he felt he could not argue. Paloma "was successful conflict aliases formation and really conscionable wanted to beryllium taken attraction of and, you know, not person to make nan difficult decisions", he says. "Her mum benignant of swooped successful and took advantage of that."

Kate Shemirani promotes ideas which she recommended to her girl to a wider nationalist online. A erstwhile NHS caregiver successful nan 1980s, she calls herself "the Natural Nurse" connected societal media.

On her website, she sells apricot kernels for their "potential wellness benefits" on pinch nutritional supplements, and offers accusation and advice.

She charges astir £70 for an yearly rank to her site, and charges patients - including those pinch crab - £195 for a consultation and personalised 12-week programme.

On societal media she posts videos promoting her products and sometimes criticises "ill-informed people" for treating crab pinch chemotherapy, aliases "pumping mustard state into their veins" arsenic she characterises it.

When nan Covid pandemic deed successful 2020, Kate Shemirani was 1 of galore conspiracy mentation influencers who recovered a wider audience. Her beliefs appeared to person evolved from replacement wellness ideas to sprawling anti-establishment conspiracy theories.

She promoted nan mendacious ideas that nan pandemic was a hoax, that vaccines were portion of a scheme to termination tons of people, and that doctors and nurses should beryllium punished for their portion successful it all.

In 2021 a Nursing and Midwifery Council sheet wished that Kate Shemirani should beryllium struck disconnected arsenic a caregiver for promoting misinformation astir nan pandemic. Several societal media companies besides suspended her profiles for promoting misinformation. "She went into obscurity," says Sebastian.

But erstwhile Elon Musk bought X successful 2022, tons of conspiracy mentation accounts were reinstated, including Kate Shemirani's. She was besides reinstated connected Facebook and she joined TikTok.

Her assemblage has grown again - successful nan past six months she has had her contented viewed much than 4 and a half cardinal times crossed nan awesome societal media sites. I person recovered dozens of comments connected X wherever she encourages group to get successful touch, including those pinch cancer.

Paloma continued connected Gerson therapy. Some of her friends noticed really she became much and much unwell.

On 1 video call, Chantelle says, Paloma said she had a caller lump successful her armpit, and her mother had told her it meant that nan crab was going retired of her body. "I knew she was really struggling," she says, adding that Paloma told her she had mislaid power of her bodily functions.

But she says Paloma besides said she felt pressured by doctors and friends to reconsider her determination to prosecute replacement therapies connected their own. Chantelle says she did not work together pinch nan replacement therapy either, but wanted to beryllium location for her friend.

Paloma had mentioned different group trying to alteration her mind and discussed "cutting them off", Chantelle adds. "I thought I don't want to beryllium trim disconnected particularly erstwhile she's struggling for illustration this."

Over nan months that they said connected nan phone, Chantelle says she noticed that Kate Shemirani was "taking very bully attraction of Paloma". But she does not deliberation Paloma would person made nan aforesaid decisions without her mother.

"I don't deliberation her ideology was beardown capable to make those decisions is my individual belief. People person different opinions astir these things, but I deliberation her mum played a massive, monolithic domiciled into it," Chantelle says.

In March 2024, Paloma ended her narration pinch Ander. Other friends and family felt that Kate Shemirani was isolating Paloma from them.

Gabriel says he asked to meet Paloma not agelong aft she was diagnosed but his sister said she could not spell retired because of nan "bad air". Their mother had convinced her that nan "damp air" would origin her to go much ill, he says.

Sebastian and Gabriel were truthful worried that Gabriel started a ineligible case. He was not arguing Paloma did not person capacity, but he wanted an appraisal of nan due aesculapian curen for her.

But events overtook them and nan lawsuit ended without a conclusion successful July - because Paloma had died.

Gabriel only learned of his sister's decease respective days afterwards, successful a telephone telephone from their lawyer. He had to break nan news to his brother. "It's for illustration being burnt live and you consciousness nan searing symptom each clip it comes retired of your mouth," Gabriel says.

Sebastian says he blamed himself. "I haven't travel to position pinch that astatine all," he says.

When Ander heard, "I broke," he says. "I was just, like, screaming and crying astatine nan apical of my lungs."

Paloma had suffered a bosom onslaught caused by her tumour. She was taken to hospital, but aft respective days, her life support was switched off.

An inquest is owed to statesman adjacent period to found nan circumstances surrounding Paloma's death.

Kate Shemirani has promoted a scope of unproven theories connected societal media and fringe governmental podcasts astir really she believes Paloma was murdered by aesculapian unit - and that this was followed by a screen up. The BBC has not seen grounds to support these claims.

Paloma's decease was devastating for her family and loved ones. But for Sebastian and Gabriel, it is besides a informing of nan imaginable consequences for group who judge anti-medicine conspiracy theories for illustration their mother's.