Mari Lopez, above, a Texas woman who used YouTube to tell the world that God had freed her from a ‘gay lifestyle’ and had cured her of cancer, has died of cancer.
The news of her death last December was made known on YouTube last week by her niece her niece Liz Johnson.
Lopez, according to this report, eschewed conventional treatment for breast cancer, and relied instead of on her Christian faith and veganism.
Lopez and Johnson launched the “Mari and Liz” YouTube channel in 2015 to promote Christianity, raw veganism, and juicing as cures for cancer. The channel amassed more than 12,000 subscribers and a million views in total.
Lopez said in one video:
It’s over, it is done with, I am healed. I feel it in my spirit and in my body.
She also claimed she used to “live a gay lifestyle” but after finding God chose to abandon lesbianism.
But last year Lopez’s cancer returned and spread to her blood, liver, and lungs. By the time she decided to pursue chemotherapy, though, the cancer was too aggressive.
Johnson insists that Lopez succumbed to her illness because she was “inconsistent in her diet and spiritual life” and did not continue juicing and a raw vegan diet when the cancer returned.
She added that Lopez’s choice to renounce homosexuality:
Had nothing to do with her juicing, but everything to do with her faith.
It was reported here that Lopez said she had skipped cancer treatment despite the recommendation of her doctors.
It’s my choice, I’ve been okay, I haven’t died, I haven’t gotten to the hospital … I am going to continue on this path of going natural.
Johnson alleged her aunt’s demise came not from the cancer itself, but rather her consumption of meat and her use of a microwave.
My family is not familiar with that style of living … What happened was, as Mari was living with my mom, my mom started to tell her that she needed to eat meat.
However, the American Cancer Society disputes the claim microwaving foods poses a health risk to people:
When microwave ovens are used according to instructions, there is no evidence that they pose a health risk.
Johnson also said that Lopez had asked her to remove the videos when she realised she was about to die. However, Johnson refused because she still believes in the health benefits of veganism and faith in God.
The American Cancer Society warns patients to be skeptical of the quackery promoted in videos such as the ones created by Lopez and Johnson.