Latest news with #anti-vax
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
'Anti-vax' woman died after refusing chemotherapy
A woman who died after refusing treatment for cancer told a court she was "anti-vax", an inquest has heard. Paloma Shemirani, who had declined chemotherapy for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, suffered a fatal heart attack caused by her tumour at the Royal Sussex County Hospital (RSCH) on 24 July last year. The 23-year-old's mother Kay (Kate) Shemirani, who shared Covid conspiracy theories on social media, has blamed doctors' interventions for her daughter's death. Paloma had also claimed her human rights had been violated by NHS practitioners, likening it to what the Nazis did during WWII, the inquest was told at Oakwood House in Maidstone, Kent. In previous written statements - submitted to the family division of the High Court in spring 2024 and read out at the hearing on Monday - she described the alleged violations as akin to experiments carried out at Auschwitz. Paloma, who grew up in Uckfield, East Sussex, denied even having non-Hodgkin lymphoma, calling it an "absurd fantasy, with no proof". The Cambridge graduate described the diagnosis as "suspected and unconfirmed", adding that she had a "background in natural healing". In addition, she feared that if she were to survive chemotherapy it might make her infertile. "I do not want to undergo such a harsh treatment that could even kill me when there is a possibility this is not cancer", she said. She described her mother, who was struck off as a nurse in 2021, as "an extremely forceful advocate for natural health" who was often "misquoted". Paloma had turned to Gerson therapy - a strict organic vegetarian diet involving enemas - on the advice of her mother's ex-fiancee, Dr Patrick Villers, though Cancer Research UK said there was no scientific evidence of it being an effective treatment. The proceedings, which involve Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, were on the appropriateness of her care and heard how Paloma had said she was "delighted" with her alternative treatment and "sure" she would "make a full recovery" if left to continue it. The inquest, led by coroner Catherine Wood, continues. Additional reporting from PA Media. Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. More on this story 'Our sister died of cancer because of our mum's conspiracy theories' Concern mum 'influenced daughter's chemo refusal' Related internet links Kent and Medway Coroner's Service Solve the daily Crossword
BBC News
10 hours ago
- Health
- BBC News
'Anti-vax' woman, 23, died after refusing chemotherapy
A woman who died after refusing treatment for cancer told a court she was "anti-vax", an inquest has Shemirani, who had declined chemotherapy for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, suffered a fatal heart attack caused by her tumour at the Royal Sussex County Hospital (RSCH) on 24 July last 23-year-old's mother Kay (Kate) Shemirani, who shared Covid conspiracy theories on social media, has blamed doctors' interventions for her daughter's had also claimed her human rights had been violated by NHS practitioners, likening it to what the Nazis did during WWII, the inquest was told at Oakwood House in Maidstone, Kent. In previous written statements - submitted to the family division of the High Court in spring 2024 and read out at the hearing on Monday - she described the alleged violations as akin to experiments carried out at who grew up in Uckfield, East Sussex, denied even having non-Hodgkin lymphoma, calling it an "absurd fantasy, with no proof".The Cambridge graduate described the diagnosis as "suspected and unconfirmed", adding that she had a "background in natural healing".In addition, she feared that if she were to survive chemotherapy it might make her infertile. "I do not want to undergo such a harsh treatment that could even kill me when there is a possibility this is not cancer", she said. She described her mother, who was struck off as a nurse in 2021, as "an extremely forceful advocate for natural health" who was often "misquoted".Paloma had turned to Gerson therapy - a strict organic vegetarian diet involving enemas - on the advice of her mother's ex-fiancee, Dr Patrick Villers, though Cancer Research UK said there was no scientific evidence of it being an effective proceedings, which involve Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, were on the appropriateness of her care and heard how Paloma had said she was "delighted" with her alternative treatment and "sure" she would "make a full recovery" if left to continue inquest, led by coroner Catherine Wood, reporting from PA Media.
Daily Mail
12 hours ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
University of Cambridge graduate who died after being influenced by her anti-vaxxer mother said she too was 'anti-vax' after refusing chemotherapy, inquest hears
A University of Cambridge graduate who died after refusing chemotherapy told a court before her death that she was anti-vax, taking health advice from her mother, an inquest has heard. Cambridge graduate and model Paloma Shemirani died last July after refusing conventional cancer treatments for her treatable non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a form of blood cancer. Her mother, Kay 'Kate' Shemirani, was a notorious anti-vaxxer who was struck off the UK's nursing register in 2021 for her extreme anti-medicine views, including discouraging the use of masks and vaccines during Covid. She rose to prominence on social media while sharing Covid-19 conspiracy theories, the inquest at Oakwood House in Maidstone, Kent, heard previously. In written statements submitted to the family division of the High Court in Spring 2024, Paloma described herself as 'anti-vax' and that she declined chemotherapy partly because of her 'background in natural healing', the inquest heard on Monday. The proceedings, which involved the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, were on the appropriateness of her care. Paloma said she was 'delighted' with her alternative treatment and 'sure' she would 'make a full recovery' if left to continue it. She also claimed her human rights had been violated by NHS practitioners in the statement, which was read by lawyer Alison Hewitt. It said: 'I am far from being a vulnerable young adult. Apart from becoming independent after I moved to Cambridge for university, I have practised the same principles that I grew up with. 'I have always been extremely health conscious: sticking to all-organic produce, I prepare all my own meals and I absolutely do not drink or cook with tap water. 'I have never taken drugs, despite pressure to, and I rarely drink alcohol. 'If I became ill, I've always turned to my mum first for advice as she is a trained nurse and qualified nutritionist. 'Practically fanatical about my health, my close friends know me as a staunch advocate for all proven natural healing'. She described her mother as 'an extremely forceful advocate for natural health' who is 'misquoted' by people claiming 'those natural solutions are conspiratorial'. Ms Shemirani was struck off as a nurse in 2021, with a Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) committee finding that she had spread Covid-19 misinformation that 'put the public at a significant risk of harm', the inquest heard previously. The anti-vax mother previously joined the Coroner's court online - and immediately indicated she is apparently unrepentant on her outspoken opinions. Mrs Shemirani referred to her daughter's cancer as a 'purported diagnosis' as she argued with Coroner Catherine Wood about what evidence should be heard at the Kent inquest. Despite initially having been given a positive prognosis that she could survive her condition, former Miss Brighton finalist Paloma died just seven months after her diagnosis after refusing help. Her two brothers, Gabriel and Sebastian, and her former boyfriend, Ander Harris, have since gone on record to claim Paloma had been coerced by her mother into refusing medical help - a claim their mother has denied. The brothers first spoke out in a BBC Panorama interview last month, where they first revealed the accusations made against their mother. Mrs Shemirani, who describes herself as a 'natural nurse' to her 80,000 followers on Elon Musk's X, believes in 'Gerson therapy' - a belief that a vegan diet, natural juices, coffee enemas and supplements can cure cancer. Another statement in Paloma's name added 'my friends know me as a staunch advocate of the Gerson therapy'. She said she had been using Gerson therapy as one mode of treatment on the advice of her mother's ex-fiancee, Doctor Patrick Villers, and that at 15 years old, she spent three weeks in his camp in Mexico where it was practised. Gerson therapy involves a strict organic vegetarian diet and enemas and has been used in cancer treatment, though Cancer Research UK says that there is no scientific evidence it can be used as a treatment for cancer. Her GP was also monitoring her blood and progress, she said. The former Cambridge student went on to deny having the disease and said 'I was not diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma... I have never had a shadow on my lung, this is absurd fantasy, no proof'. She described the diagnosis as 'suspected and unconfirmed', and said a 'differential diagnosis' only meant cancer could not be ruled out. Paloma understood that she had a one in five chance of surviving the commonplace R-CHOP treatment that was offered, and feared it would likely make her infertile, the inquest heard. 'I do not want to undergo such a harsh treatment that could even kill me when there is a possibility this is not cancer,' she said. The High Court statement alleged multiple violations of human rights in her care, the inquest heard, including Articles 3, 6 and 8 and possibly Articles 1, 5 and 12. 'I am so shocked, as are others assisting me, especially my mother, that this could take place today', the statement said. 'These were put in place forever to prevent what Dr Mengele did in the second world war. How could this happen today?', it continued. Notorious Nazi doctor Josef Mengele performed experiments on his victims in Auschwitz. The patient said symptoms she presented in hospital with - including a swollen face, excruciating chest pain being unable to move her arm - had subsided. Earlier this month, Paloma's inquest heard from haematology consultant Dr Mohan who detailed how the young woman was diagnosed and how a treatment plan was created. The coroner's court heard that Paloma was first admitted to A&E on October 4 2023 with chest pain, a fever and a lump in the neck. She was then admitted on December 3 and was put forward for an emergency CT scan the next day. After a biopsy was also taken, Paloma was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma with a large mass being found near her sternum. While the consultant was asked about scans from radiology Mrs Shemirani shouted 'I'd like to object' to which the coroner told her she could not object to a witness statement. Dr Arunodaya Mohen said that as part of a standard treatment plan Paloma was advised to start six cycles of chemotherapy - each lasting 14 days. Steroids would also be provided, with radiotherapy and stents being considered later down the line. The doctor said side effects of the treatment, which could have been taken as an inpatient or outpatient, include nausea, vomiting, hair loss, changes to nails and the production of 'tumour lives' which can produce toxins and affect chemicals in the body. Dr Mohen added: 'Chemotherapy can affect fertility so we offered Paloma full fertility preservation before she went ahead with chemotherapy. 'We had a discussion regarding on fertility and we discussed a referral to a tertiary centre. And she was happy to go ahead with the fertility preservation and we discussed the pet scan. 'At that point I don't think I had any concerns [about her capacity]. We went through the management plan at that time and that's when we gave her the cure rate of 80 per cent during that conversation.' At this stage, Paloma's cancer was considered to be a stage one mass and due to her age and extent of the disease she had a good chance of survival. Her doctor said: 'She was very low risk and had an 80 per cent chance of survival which is an excellent cure rate.' After first meeting with Paloma on December 22, Dr Mohan had discussed treatment options and a potential PET scan with Paloma to which she is said to have nodded in agreement. Yet the next day Paloma appeared to have changed her mind and was exploring 'unconventional' treatment options. The consultant said she had been surprised when Paloma said that she would not be continuing treatment. Dr Mohan added: 'It was not expected that she was not going ahead with the treatment. 'She said she hadn't made up her mind yet and she might be cancelling her treatment. I can't remember what treatment that was in favour of but it wasn't a conventional treatment. 'She would not disclose why she was worried about the treatment but I did ask her and my team was worried that she might not undergo treatment.' Dr Mohan said she had only had one conversation with Paloma's mother over the phone and had not discussed Mrs Shemirani being Paloma's power of attorney. She said Mrs Shemirani had repeated Paloma's concerns about the side effects of steroids and said 'she wasn't happy with the Pet scan'. Dr Mohan added: 'I said we would ask Paloma what she wanted and if she decided this treatment I will go in that direction. 'We thought at the time she had full capacity in what was going on. I didn't even want to talk to mum as I didn't think it was helpful.' It's understood that Paloma's father Faramarz also believes in conspiracy theories, but is divorced and living separately to her mother. Gabriel and his brother Sebastian went public last month, claiming their sister died because she refused conventional chemotherapy treatment. The brothers said that doctors gave Paloma an 80 per cent chance of survival but rejected the treatment because of pressure from her mother whom she had been trying to improve her relationship with. They claimed that Mrs Shemirani, whose real name is Kay, had sought to isolate her only daughter from her family, boyfriend and friends with Paloma even sending messages that she was being 'abused' by her mother. Her mother denies this. Kate, who describes herself as a 'natural nurse' to her 80,000 followers on Elon Musk's X, believes in 'Gerson therapy' - a belief that a vegan diet, natural juices, coffee enemas and supplements can cure cancer. Ahead of the opening of the inquest on July 18, Gabriel and his older brother Sebastian, 26, are calling for the law to be changed to include conspiracy theories as a means of coercive control. They are calling for the change as they believe despite Paloma being an adult she was not in a position to refuse treatment due to coercion from her parents who both push conspiracy theories. Speaking ahead of the inquest, Sebastian, who splits his time between Hong Kong and Georgia told The Sunday Times: 'If someone is rejecting cancer treatment for non-terminal cancer, that is evidence that they are not making the right decisions.' The brothers are also calling for it to be made illegal that unqualified or unregistered people call themselves 'doctors or nurses'. The inquest continues.
The Guardian
14-07-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Measles cases are surging in Europe and the US. This is what the anti-vax conspiracy theory has brought us
It's easy to say in hindsight, but also true, that even when the anti-vax movement was in its infancy in the late 90s before I had kids, let alone knew what you were supposed to vaccinate them against, I could smell absolute garbage. After all, Andrew Wakefield, a doctor until he was struck off in 2010, was not the first crank to dispute the safety and effectiveness of childhood vaccines. There was a movement against the diphtheria-tetanus-whooping cough vaccine in the 1970s in the UK, and a similar one in the US in the early 1980s. The discovery of vaccination in the first place was not without its critics, and enough people to form a league opposed the smallpox rollout in the early 1800s on the basis that it was unchristian to share tissue with an animal. So Wakefield's infamous Lancet study, in which he claimed a link between the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine and autism, going as far as to pin down the exact mechanism by which one led to the other, was new only in so far as it had all the branding of reputable research, when in fact it was maleficent woo-woo, a phenomenon as old as knowledge. It was noticeable, though, that it fell on parched ground – a lot of people were very keen for it to be true. That was partly simple news appetite: vaccines are inherently boring. Devised by humans co-operating with one another, motivated by nothing more complicated than a desire to help the species – and indiscriminately, no one baby more worthy of protection than any other – there is no animating conflict here, nothing hidden, no complexity. Is there anything more tedious than humanity at its finest? So wouldn't it be at least piquant if it turned out to be a giant mistake? Alongside that, there was a perception that autism diagnoses had gone through the roof, and that wasn't wrong. The increase in recorded incidence was 787% between 1998 and 2018, and no amount of, 'Steady on, guys – it might just be because we've got better at understanding what we're looking at' would deter people from wishing for one simple answer. Wakefield also landed his bogus study just as performative parenting was getting under way – a new understanding of child-rearing, in which parenting well became the summit of moral excellence, and the way to prove your credentials was to be excessively cautious about absolutely everything. It seemed pretty Calvinist – the fundamentals of parenting superiority were mysterious, but you could spot the Chosen Parent by the fact that they never ran with the herd. The depressing thing about the anti-vax timeline is that the collective global mind worked as it should and yet didn't work at all. Other scientists tried to replicate Wakefield's results, and couldn't. The right questions were asked and he was discredited. The lie might have gone around the world, but when the truth finally did get its pants on, it won a decisive victory. Yet a generalised distrust of vaccination as a concept had been spawned, ready to meet any fresh infectious disease. That didn't delay the Covid vaccine rollout – it's hard to see how it could have been faster – but did sully the triumph with the loud disquiet of a minority who thought they were being deliberately poisoned by the state. The effects of the MMR controversy, specifically, are revealing themselves now, nearly 30 years later: measles cases in Europe are at the highest levels in 25 years; in the US, cases are at a 33-year-high; last week a child in Liverpool died having contracted measles. It's unknown whether the child was vaccinated (no vaccine can guarantee complete immunity) and it doesn't matter – it wouldn't make it any less tragic if that child's parents had been caught in the swirl of misinformation, or any more tragic if they hadn't. And it wouldn't be germane anyway: everybody is better protected when everybody is vaccinated. This is never a decision you are making just for yourself. It's probably the most depressing conspiracy theory there is, not because the impacts are so much graver than some cranks who believe the Earth to be flat, but because vaccination is the most concrete proof of how much we rely on one another's care and rationality. That's true beyond disease – we also need each other for democracy, science, culture, civic life and everything – but in no other area can you see that, count it and put it on a graph. Zoe Williams is a Guardian columnist Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
The Guardian
14-07-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Measles cases are surging in Europe and the US. This is what the anti-vax conspiracy theory has brought us
It's easy to say in hindsight, but also true, that even when the anti-vax movement was in its infancy in the late 90s before I had kids, let alone knew what you were supposed to vaccinate them against, I could smell absolute garbage. After all, Andrew Wakefield, a doctor until he was struck off in 2010, was not the first crank to dispute the safety and effectiveness of childhood vaccines. There was a movement against the diphtheria-tetanus-whooping cough vaccine in the 1970s in the UK, and a similar one in the US in the early 1980s. The discovery of vaccination in the first place was not without its critics, and enough people to form a league opposed the smallpox rollout in the early 1800s on the basis that it was unchristian to share tissue with an animal. So Wakefield's infamous Lancet study, in which he claimed a link between the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine and autism, going as far as to pin down the exact mechanism by which one led to the other, was new only in so far as it had all the branding of reputable research, when in fact it was maleficent woo-woo, a phenomenon as old as knowledge. It was noticeable, though, that it fell on parched ground – a lot of people were very keen for it to be true. That was partly simple news appetite: vaccines are inherently boring. Devised by humans co-operating with one another, motivated by nothing more complicated than a desire to help the species – and indiscriminately, no one baby more worthy of protection than any other – there is no animating conflict here, nothing hidden, no complexity. Is there anything more tedious than humanity at its finest? So wouldn't it be at least piquant if it turned out to be a giant mistake? Alongside that, there was a perception that autism diagnoses had gone through the roof, and that wasn't wrong. The increase in recorded incidence was 787% between 1998 and 2018, and no amount of, 'Steady on, guys – it might just be because we've got better at understanding what we're looking at' would deter people from wishing for one simple answer. Wakefield also landed his bogus study just as performative parenting was getting under way – a new understanding of child-rearing, in which parenting well became the summit of moral excellence, and the way to prove your credentials was to be excessively cautious about absolutely everything. It seemed pretty Calvinist – the fundamentals of parenting superiority were mysterious, but you could spot the Chosen Parent by the fact that they never ran with the herd. The depressing thing about the anti-vax timeline is that the collective global mind worked as it should and yet didn't work at all. Other scientists tried to replicate Wakefield's results, and couldn't. The right questions were asked and he was discredited. The lie might have gone around the world, but when the truth finally did get its pants on, it won a decisive victory. Yet a generalised distrust of vaccination as a concept had been spawned, ready to meet any fresh infectious disease. That didn't delay the Covid vaccine rollout – it's hard to see how it could have been faster – but did sully the triumph with the loud disquiet of a minority who thought they were being deliberately poisoned by the state. The effects of the MMR controversy, specifically, are revealing themselves now, nearly 30 years later: measles cases in Europe are at the highest levels in 25 years; in the US, cases are at a 33-year-high; last week a child in Liverpool died having contracted measles. It's unknown whether the child was vaccinated (no vaccine can guarantee complete immunity) and it doesn't matter – it wouldn't make it any less tragic if that child's parents had been caught in the swirl of misinformation, or any more tragic if they hadn't. And it wouldn't be germane anyway: everybody is better protected when everybody is vaccinated. This is never a decision you are making just for yourself. It's probably the most depressing conspiracy theory there is, not because the impacts are so much graver than some cranks who believe the Earth to be flat, but because vaccination is the most concrete proof of how much we rely on one another's care and rationality. That's true beyond disease – we also need each other for democracy, science, culture, civic life and everything – but in no other area can you see that, count it and put it on a graph. Zoe Williams is a Guardian columnist
