Gwynedd teen to walk Yr Wyddfa four times for defibrillator fundraiser
His fundraiser target is £2,000, while Gabriel said, if he has time, he may complete more round trips of the mountain range – www.gofundme.com/f/yr-wyddfa-24hr-challenge.
He works as a groundsman in Dolgellau; at the Penmaenuchaf Hotel.
Gabriel, who so far has raised in excess of £200, said: 'The target is four round trips, but it would be amazing to do as many as I possibly can, depending on how I'm feeling.
'I'm doing it solo, but there'll be a support group on standby to help me, which Dolgellau Fire Station is helping to organise, and one of the mountain rescue teams will know about it in case anything goes wrong. My uncle will be at the bottom of Yr Wyddfa, as well.
'I just think a defibrillator is a good thing for any community to have. Having been to two defibrillator open days and demonstrations, I know it's a lifesaving piece of equipment.
'I think it's quite important that there are as many of them around as possible – it's better to have one and not need it, than need one and not have it.'
Gabriel is no stranger to Yr Wyddfa, having walked it many times previously.
This includes when he completed the National Three Peaks challenge in 22 hours last October.
He added: 'I enjoy it, but it was a bit of struggle when I did it for the Three Peaks because I got there at about midnight and had lost one of my AirPods at the top of Scafell Pike, and the weather wasn't in my favour!
'I'm hoping it'll be mild this time – not too hot, not too cold.'
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Scottish Sun
05-08-2025
- Scottish Sun
My sister choked to death on tumours after conspiracy mum told her to refuse treatment – she must be banned
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) WHEN devastated Gabriel Shemirani heard his twin sister Paloma had died, he could not believe it. He had been told months ago that the 23-year-old Cambridge graduate's cancer was curable — but she had refused life-saving chemotherapy after going to live with their anti-vaxxer mum. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 7 Paloma Shemirani refused to have chemotherapy after going to live with her anti-vaxxer mum Credit: Facebook 7 Paloma's grieving brother Gabriel is campaigning to ensure there is proper regulation for alternative medicine - like that dispensed by his mother Credit: Louis Wood 7 Paloma's mum Kate fed her daughter a bogus coffee-based treatment promoted by the Australian cancer faker Belle Gibson Credit: Camera Press In a doomed attempt to cure her non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Paloma, from Uckfield, East Sussex, had followed a bogus coffee-based treatment promoted by the Australian cancer faker Belle Gibson. Recalling the heartbreaking moment a friend told him his sister had died after choking on her tumours, Gabriel tells The Sun: 'That's the most difficult part, because you're trying to do everything in your brain to think it's not real, it's not true. 'And every time you utter the words to someone else, that 'Paloma is dead' it feels like you're being burned alive.' At an inquest in Maidstone, Kent, last week, Gabriel blamed his mother Kate Shemirani — a former NHS nurse — for the death of his sister. 'People are dying. This needs to stop' Kate, 59, was struck off by the Nursing and Midwifery Council in May 2021 after claiming that the Covid virus was a hoax. She wrote that 'the NHS is the new Auschwitz' and regularly posted messages on social media opposing chemotherapy. Now she is advertising herself as a 'natural nurse' on her website. Gabriel, 24, wants a change in the law to protect patients from medical misinformation. The economics and maths student says: 'I couldn't save my sister, but there's still time to save others. 'People are dying. This needs to stop. Mum sacrificed my sister for anti-vax views, says twin of woman who died after refusing chemo for 'treatable' cancer 'The law is so out-of-date that we can have a woman that's killed her daughter still claiming to be a nurse. 'I believe my sister was being coerced. It's conspiratorial coercion when you convince her the elites are going to kill them, big pharma's going to kill them, even the doctors at the hospital are going to kill them.' Gabriel's mother has been banned from Facebook, Instagram and TikTok but was reinstated on X after billionaire Elon Musk took over. She denies responsibility — and blames the paramedics who tried to save her daughter's life. A year after Paloma's death, Gabriel is still feeling the loss of his sister. He says: 'With a twin they've always been there by your side. 'There's so much that doesn't need to be said because you already understand it, — it's almost like you have your own language. We were incredibly close — at no point did we ever fall out.' Growing up together with two other siblings in a troubled household also strengthened their bond. I wasn't able to have any meaningful conversation with my sister because she was out of it. That was the last time I saw Paloma. Gabriel on sister Paloma Their Iranian father Faramarz believed in conspiracy theories, such as the idea that the US government blew up the Twin Towers in New York on 9/11. From the age of nine, his mother told him to stop using suncream, and a couple of years later banned the kids from drinking tap water. At the inquest, Gabriel also claimed that she had been 'emotionally distant' and physically abusive during his childhood. In 2012, Kate was diagnosed with cancer, which she survived after having a double mastectomy. But she credits her survival to alternative treatments, including the controversial Gerson therapy which involves taking coffee enemas. Belle Gibson, who was the subject of the Netflix drama Apple Cider Vinegar, promoted the fake Gerson 'cure' before it was revealed she did not have terminal brain cancer. Like Gibson, Kate became a wellness guru — and Gabriel says: 'I think she saw her way to get that attention she'd always craved.' When the pandemic began in 2020, Gabriel was the last sibling living at the family home, with his father having moved back to Iran after separating from Kate six years earlier. But he moved out, preferring to 'sofa surf' over being locked down with his mother — and he says he 'wasn't surprised' when her extreme views made headlines. During a protest in London's Trafalgar Square in 2021, Kate asked for the names of doctors and nurses to be sent to her, before warning: 'At the Nuremberg Trials, the doctors and nurses stood trial and they hung.' 7 Neither Gabriel nor his brother Sebastian were told about Paloma's funeral which took place in August last year Credit: Supplied 7 When Gabriel heard his twin sister Paloma had died, he could not believe it Credit: Supplied Gabriel thought his sister was free of his mum's influence — but that all changed when Paloma was told she had cancer in late December 2023 and went to live back at home. Fearing that his sister wasn't going to accept the cancer treatment recommended by the NHS, Gabriel went to visit her on Christmas Day. He says he argued with his mum, adding: 'I wasn't able to have any meaningful conversation with my sister because she was out of it. That was the last time I saw Paloma.' Blocked from visiting, Gabriel sent messages begging Paloma to try chemotherapy. He received no response, so he took the extraordinary measure of trying to take his mum to the High Court, arguing that his sister was being 'coerced' by her. 'I don't talk to her, I have no feelings for her' Gabriel also asked social services to investigate, but claims they only spoke to Paloma on the phone while her mum was in the room. He says: 'For four or five months, I was living in constant fear that I was gonna get that phone call from someone saying my sister had died.' Unknown to him, his sister's condition was deteriorating rapidly. After collapsing at her mother's home on July 19 last year, Paloma was flown by air ambulance to the Royal Sussex County Hospital. Osteopath Nick Gosset, who assessed Paloma that day, told the inquest she was 'a young lady who was in the last stages of a very difficult disease, and she had declined to engage with conventional treatment.' The doctor 'had never seen anything like' the amount of growths going from her right shoulder to her neck during his 43 years in medicine. Five days later Paloma's life support machine was shut off, she had a heart attack as a result of the cancer. It would be another six days before Gabriel learned his sister had died. I think people like my mum should be regulated like a doctor should be regulated. If you are making medical claims, health claims, you should be held to account. Gabriel on his mother Kate Neither he nor his brother Sebastian were told about the funeral which took place in August last year. Gabriel says: 'She was cremated without our knowledge.' Now he no longer wants to have anything to do with 'that woman.' Gabriel, who calls his mum by her real name Kay, says: 'We're complete strangers. I don't talk to her — I have no feelings for her.' Kate's version of events is very different to the medical practitioners who treated Paloma. She claims on her blog that her daughter 'did not die of cancer' and was instead the victim of medical negligence. Kate says that paramedics should not have given Paloma adrenaline. On her website, she accuses the coroner of attempting to 'harass' her and 'acting unlawfully.' The former nurse also says that 'viruses and their transmission was invented' and that 5G masts were responsible for Covid. She offers one-hour consultations and branded vitamins for £75 a bottle through her website. The inquest is set to resume next week and take three days to conclude. Whatever verdict the coroner gives, this battle is not over for Gabriel. He is on a mission to properly regulate the ever-growing alternative medicine industry. Gabriel wants to prevent others relying on unproven treatments and has spoken out on the BBC's Panorama documentary Cancer Conspiracy Theories. He says: 'I think people like my mum should be regulated like a doctor should be regulated. 'If you are making medical claims, health claims, you should be held to account.' The global wellness industry is valued at over £5trillion and the authorities are struggling to challenge the countless over-inflated claims being made for natural remedies. Vitamins and a healthier diet can help cancer patients, but there is no scientific basis for claims that they are alternatives to proven treatments such as chemotherapy. Gabriel wants the Online Safety Act — designed to prevent children accessing harmful material and adults seeing illegal content — to also be used to stop medical misinformation. He says: 'Harmful but legal is still allowed for adults. These laws around promotion of treatments for cancer need to be changed.' Until then, 'natural nurse' Kate will continue to try to influence vulnerable patients hoping for a miracle cure. 7 Anti-vaxxer Kate protesting outside Parliament during the pandemic Credit: Alamy
Scottish Sun
31-07-2025
- Scottish Sun
‘Mum sacrificed Paloma for her own principles,' says twin of woman who died after refusing chemo for ‘treatable' cancer
'I blame my mother entirely for my sister's death", Gabriel, says 'obstructing' his sister from receiving treatment TRAGIC LOSS 'Mum sacrificed Paloma for her own principles,' says twin of woman who died after refusing chemo for 'treatable' cancer Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE twin of Paloma Shemirani, who passed away after refusing chemotherapy for cancer claims his conspiracy theorist mum "sacrificed" his sister "for her own principles". The 23-year-old University of Cambridge graduate died at Royal Sussex County Hospital on July 24 last year of a fatal heart attack. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 9 Paloma Shemirani was diagnosed with 'treatable' non-Hodgkin lymphoma two years ago Credit: Facebook 9 Paloma's twin, Gabriel Shemirani, blames his mum for his sister's death Credit: PA 9 Paloma's mum is a notorious anti-vaxxer and conspiracy theorist Credit: Alamy Just months earlier, she had declined treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma - a type of blood cancer which starts in the lymph nodes. At the time, doctors told Paloma, who was originally from Uckfield in East Sussex, she her cancer was "treatable" and that she had an 80 per cent chance of recovery with chemotherapy. Yet, she refused it. Her mum, Kay "Kate" Shemirani, who rose to prominence on social media while sharing Covid-19 conspiracy theories, is alleged to have been "abusive" to her children and was involved in her daughter's alternative "treatment programme". Paloma's twin brother, Gabriel Shemirani, told an inquest into her death at Kent and Medway Coroners Court, in Maidstone: "I blame my mother entirely for my sister's death", by "obstructing" his sister from receiving treatment. "In short, I believe that she sacrificed Paloma's life for her own principles, I believe that she should be held accountable for Paloma's death," said Gabriel. Kate was struck off as a nurse in 2021, and a Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) committee found she had spread Covid-19 misinformation that "put the public at a significant risk of harm". Gabriel's parents split in 2014 after a relationship which had involved domestic abuse "both ways", he told the court. He alleged that he and his siblings "felt unsafe" around their mother and that she had been "emotionally distant" and physically abusive to them as children. He further alleged during his evidence that his father, Doctor Faramarz Shemirani, was also physically abusive to him and his brother. At the time of Paloma's cancer diagnosis in autumn 2023, she was estranged from her mother, who then advised her against conventional medicine, the court heard. Son of anti-vax nurse being probed by cops for comparing NHS medics to Nazis slams 'arrogant' mum Gabriel said: "Paloma had a complicated relationship with our mother, maybe it is because she had a complicated relationship that she decided to rekindle that relationship when she became ill. "In my opinion, Kay Shemirani directed her resentment that she held towards my other siblings and I towards Paloma." 'Pressure' from parents Gabriel brought a High Court case to assess his sister's ability to exert her capacity to take medical decisions while living with her mother in April 2024. He claimed that when Paloma was first diagnosed, she was considering chemotherapy, before their parents started to pressure her against it. Her father sent a message to his daughter saying: "Don't consent to anything from the doctors they try and kill you". And that Kate had said: "I'm the only one that can help you, don't bite the hand that feeds", the inquest heard. "There was no disagreement from her that this was cancer, she never expressed that to me and she never expressed it to doctors either," said Gabriel. His parents asked questions as interested persons which alleged that Gabriel was influenced and funded by others to bring the High Court case and that his actions were a factor in Paloma's death during his evidence. "My sister didn't die from stress from the court case, my sister died from cancer and I think that's clear," said Gabriel. 9 Paloma's mum advised her against conventional medicine, the court heard Credit: Facebook 9 The Cambridge grad had refused chemotherapy treatment 9 Her father sent a message to his daughter saying, "don't consent to anything from the doctor's they try and kill you". Credit: Facebook Before the High Court case, Gabriel also referred the situation to social services but he felt they were "slow moving", the court heard. He added that his younger sister had been taken away from their mother when she was 16 and that the case was "only driven by my love and concern for my twin sister". The father claimed his son was an "irrational" and "unreliable witness", and that his actions had been a "major contributing" factor to her death. "This is not a public forum to air grievances," Coroner Catherine Wood said. "I don't have any aggrievances, I don't have any aggrievances," Dr Shemirani said. "Sounds like it," Gabriel responded. When his questions concluded, Faramarz said: "Finally may our lord almighty exercise you from the demons that possess you amen." 9 Paloma had been taken away from their mother when she was 16, her brother says Credit: Facebook 9 Gabriel had try to get social services involved but felt they were 'slow moving' Credit: Facebook Previously, Dr Ali Ajaz, a forensic psychiatrist, provided an assessment of Paloma during High Court proceedings which read: "I have no concerns that Ms Shemirani (Paloma) has been coerced or unduly influenced by any individual when making a decision about her own medical treatment." Gabriel asserted that Dr Ajaz's sessions with his sister were "coloured by my mother's control", which the doctor said was speculation. On Wednesday afternoon, Gabriel told the court that his sister was terrified of cancer, but used gallows humour as a defence mechanism. "Are you a psychologist, Gabriel?" his mother asked him. "Are you a nurse?" he replied. Alternative treatments Meanwhile, an osteopath who saw Paloma shortly before her death has told her inquest he had "never seen anything like it. He said that when he inspected her he could feel lumps in her right shoulder going all the way up into her neck. Days before, she visited Nick Gosset on the instructions of her mother Kate. Nick told the hearing that he felt "deeply aggrieved" to have been put in a professional position of trying to treat Paloma by Kate when there was clear advice from her GP to go to A&E. He said that Paloma had come to him complaining about shortness of breath and that he could only offer her palliative treatment at that stage as she was " in the last stages of a very difficult disease". "It was obvious to me that I was not the right person to be helping her, normally you see a patient like that you would refer her (to a GP)," he said. "I was left with no good choices and the only choice I felt I had at the time was to offer her the opportunity to return where I might be able to persuade her of the importance of seeking further medical support," he added. Nick said that any referral to a GP was "refused" and all suggestions of going through "normal medical channels" were "dismissed". Kate told the court that she did not believe the osteopath had that conversation with her daughter, as they were "very close" and Paloma did not tell her after the session. Nick then explained he would have offered to treat her again in the vain hope of possibly persuading her to seek help elsewhere, adding he had been "horrified" to learn she had subsequently died. At the same inquest on a previous day, Paloma's brother revealed she had been having coffee enemas as part of her devised Gerson therapy treatment plan. 9 'I blame my mother entirely for my sister's death", Garbiel says Credit: Facebook Gerson therapy involves a strict organic vegetarian diet and enemas and has been used in cancer treatment - but Cancer Research UK says that there is no scientific evidence supporting it. A coffee enema is a type of colon cleanse in alternative medicine. It involves injecting a mixture of brewed, caffeinated coffee and water into the colon through the rectum. Some coffee enema supporters claim the procedure can offer a number of health benefits, including treating cancer. But scientific evidence for its effectiveness is limited. Also at the inquest was Linda Scotson who said she was qualified in hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), the BBC said. HBOT is a treatment where people breathe pure oxygen in a high-pressure chamber. Some people claim it can fight cancer, but there's no strong scientific evidence that it can treat or cure the disease. While oxygen can support healthy tissue, it doesn't specifically target or kill cancer cells. Major cancer organisations like Cancer Research do not recommend HBOT as a standalone cancer treatment. She said Paloma had not been sure she had cancer and was aiming to "improve her immediate quality of life", after which she had claimed to feel "better in herself". Asked by Kate Shemirani if she had seen others in Paloma's situation coming to her centre, Linda replied: "We have people with a whole variety of problems, such as ME, Long Covid, sprains and fractures. "It's amazing what a little extra oxygen can do for the body. You are lifting stress." Paloma's twin brother Gabriel also asked her: "Did you explicitly tell her this will not treat her cancer?" Linda said: "She knew it wasn't treating her cancer in a direct way. I was treating her whole body and her wellbeing." When asked by Gabriel if she had left it "deliberately vague", she replied: "I never said I was treating her cancer and she wasn't certain that she had cancer." The inquest continues.
Scottish Sun
30-07-2025
- Scottish Sun
‘Anti-vax' Cambridge graduate, 23, who died after refusing chemo for ‘treatable' cancer was given coffee enemas by mum
Paloma's brother, Gabriel blames their mum's anti-medicine conspiracy theories for his sister's death TRAGIC LOSS 'Anti-vax' Cambridge graduate, 23, who died after refusing chemo for 'treatable' cancer was given coffee enemas by mum Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) PALOMA Shemirani, who died after refusing treatment for a "treatable" cancer, was having "five coffee enemas a day" under her mum's care, her brother has claimed. The 23-year-old University of Cambridge graduate died at Royal Sussex County Hospital on July 24 last year of a fatal heart attack, months after declining treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Paloma Shemirani died after refusing treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma 4 Her brother Gabriel revealed she had been having coffee enemas as part of her devised treatment programme Credit: PA Her mum, Kay "Kate" Shemirani, who rose to prominence on social media while sharing Covid-19 conspiracy theories, was involved in her daughter's "treatment programme", the inquest into her death heard. Paloma's brother, Gabriel Shemirani, along with his other sibling Sebastian, blames their mum's anti-medicine conspiracy theories for their sister's death. Forensic psychiatrist Ali Ajaz was present at Tuesday's hearing in Maidstone, Kent and was cross-examined by Gabriel. Dr Ajaz spent seven sessions with Paloma on the recommendation of her mum, with whom he had a professional relationship, it was heard. Read more on Kate Shemirani TRAGIC LOSS 'Anti-vax' Cambridge grad, 23, died after refusing chemo for 'treatable' cancer The doctor had appeared on Kay's podcast as a medical expert three times, and she had referred multiple patients to him. Kay was struck off as a nurse in 2021, and a Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) committee found she had spread Covid-19 misinformation that "put the public at a significant risk of harm", the inquest heard. Previously, Dr Ajaz provided an assessment of Paloma during High Court proceedings which read: "I have no concerns that Ms Shemirani has been coerced or unduly influenced by any individual when making a decision about her own medical treatment." Gabriel asserted Dr Ajaz's sessions with his sister were "coloured by my mother's control", which Dr Ajaz said was speculation. Dr Ajaz added it was not his job to comment on the efficacy of her devised treatment programme. "My sister was having coffee enemas daily, would it worry you now if she had told you that?" asked Gabriel. Son of anti-vax nurse being probed by cops for comparing NHS medics to Nazis slams 'arrogant' mum "I don't know anything about coffee enemas," said Dr Ajaz. The inquest heard Paloma's cancer treatment revolved largely around a strict diet and "lots of green juices". "Do you think my mum might have been scaring Paloma and making her think she was the only one who could save her?" asked Gabriel. "I don't know, you can speculate for sure," said Dr Ajaz. Arunodaya Mohan, a consultant haematologist at Maidstone Hospital, told the inquest previously that she met Paloma on December 22 2023 to set out the treatment plan after her diagnosis. Dr Mohan told Paloma she had an 80 per cent chance of recovery if she had chemotherapy, but Paloma soon told the doctor that she hadn't made her mind up about the treatment and wanted to explore other options, the inquest heard. 4 Kay "Kate" Shemirani rose to prominence on social media while sharing Covid-19 conspiracy theories Credit: Getty 4 Paloma had an 80 per cent chance of recovery if she had chemotherapy, a doctor said At the hearing on Tuesday, Dr Ajaz was shown an email exchange between himself and Paloma in which he described her concerns she had been treated against her will in hospital as "utterly shocking and sickening revelations". "How did that email get there? It certainly didn't come from myself," he asked. In written statements submitted to the family division of the High Court in spring 2024, Paloma said she declined chemotherapy partly because of her "background in natural healing", the inquest heard previously. She also claimed her human rights had been violated by NHS practitioners. In the statements she wrote: "If I became ill, I've always turned to my mum first for advice as she is a trained nurse and qualified nutritionist." Kay, who attended the inquest via video link, was warned for a second day in a row her conduct during the hearing was "unacceptable". She was seen raising signs in front of the camera while on mute, along with trying to introduce new allegations during her questioning of Dr Ajaz. Coroner Catherine Wood said she was "bordering on contempt of court". The inquest continues.
