YouTube star who claims veganism healed her breast cancer dies from disease
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Mari Lopez (pictured) stopped her vegan diet after her cancer returned, according to her niece. (YouTube)
A YouTube star who had claimed a vegan diet and spiritual lifestyle cured her of breast cancer died of the disease, her niece confirmed.
Liz Johnson said her aunt Mari Lopez died in December after the cancer recurred. The two women hosted a YouTube channel together titled “Liz & Mari.”
Johnson posted a video Sunday explaining her aunt stopped her vegan diet after her cancer returned. She attributed Lopez’s death to undergoing radiation, chemotherapy and eating meat again.
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“My aunt passed away in December because her cancer came back,” Johnson posted on the YouTube channel. “My aunt was inconsistent in her diet and spiritual life ... I never pushed my aunt to do anything or stay away from doctors."
In the video, Johnson said Lopez asked her to take down videos of her speaking about a vegan lifestyle after she realized she would die from the disease, but she refused, KSDK reported. She believed the videos could help others.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In 2016, the two women uploaded a video titled, “Stage 4 cancer natural transformation.” In the video, Lopez shared how she cured herself of cancer through a vegan diet, juicing and a lot of praying. The video has more than 370,000 views.
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In other videos, the two women shared recipes of “all natural remedies.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}But Johnson said she has never been "against doctors or medical advice." Lopez acted in accordance with her own beliefs, she said.
"She chose to do what she did and experienced healing, leading her to share her testimony to help others," Johnson said.
In an interview with Babe, Johnson said her family pushed Lopez to seek chemotherapy. She also said she believed her aunt would still be alive today if she continued her vegan lifestyle.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I think [the results] would have [been different], honestly," Johnson told Babe. "I really, truly think that they would have. That’s what really contributed to her change in the first place. Going backwards is not going to help anything."
Johnson said she plans to continue posting videos to the YouTube channel.