"Gastrointestinal bleeding began, and my ferritin level dropped." Blogger Lerchek, who is undergoing cancer treatment, was denied access to doctors for seven months and sent to a "paramedic in the village."
Lerchek, 33, is undergoing treatment for stage four stomach cancer after the birth of her fourth child and intends to hold accountable the investigator who denied her access to doctors during her house arrest. The blogger's boyfriend, Luis Squicciarini, responded on social media to police claims that they allowed her to see doctors.
Squicciarini said investigators allowed Lerchek to use the services of a state institution at her place of residence after seven months of complaints and when she began experiencing internal gastrointestinal bleeding. Furthermore, her requests to see doctors capable of detecting cancer were denied.
"The investigator approved a visit to a government facility—the Istra rural feldsher-midwife station. We deeply respect the work of rural doctors, but it's important to understand: the feldsher-midwife station is not technically designed for the diagnosis and treatment of oncological diseases," stated Louis.
The blogger also said she was only allowed to register at the nearest clinic to her residence and in the presence of an investigator, as she was not allowed to use the internet. The medical facility turned out to be a medical center, where Lerchek arrived, but was met only by a "paramedic at a desk." Furthermore, Squicchiarini published a screenshot of a conversation with the investigator, showing that Lerchek had sent her test results as early as last summer.
"The Ministry of Internal Affairs press service claims 'multiple' permission to visit clinics. This requires clarification in terms of numbers and dates: seven months—that's how long Valeria's complaints of pain and worsening condition were ignored. Permission to travel to a government facility was only received when Valeria began experiencing internal gastrointestinal bleeding and her ferritin level dropped to 2 mcg/L (with her individual norm being 50 and above)," added Luis Squicciarini.
The blogger's boyfriend believes that due to the media and social media coverage, "the investigation is forced to defend itself and even justify itself." He claims that authorities are distorting the real picture of what's happening in the media and are trying to "form a negative opinion."
Meanwhile, on social media, some celebrities and fans are supporting Lerchek and accusing the authorities of negligence, as the diagnosis could have been made earlier, and treatment could have been started.
As a reminder, blogger Lerchek (real name Valeria Chekalina) gave birth to a son at the end of February with her boyfriend Luis, whom she began dating while under house arrest. After giving birth, Chekalina was diagnosed with stage 4 stomach cancer with metastases.
Two years ago, Lerchek divorced her husband and business partner, Artyom Chekalin, amid a criminal case against them. They have three children. Previously, the couple was accused of illegally transferring over 250 million rubles abroad, which they earned from selling courses and fitness marathons. The bloggers spent over a year under house arrest. They lived separately and were unable to communicate with each other. It was recently reported that the blogger's 175 million ruble debt was repaid while undergoing cancer treatment.
Photos: im__lu_, ler_chek/Instagram**
