Blogger Valeria Chekalina, known as Lerchek, has been desperately fighting for her life for over half a year. The social media star was diagnosed with stage four stomach cancer.

Currently, 34-year-old Valeria plans to fly to China for treatment. However, this is impossible: Lerchek was sentenced to five years of probation for money laundering abroad using forged documents. Chekalina is also obligated to pay a fine of 765 million rubles. To obtain permission to leave, Lera has to wait, and she appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding this matter.

"Valeria wrote a petition for pardon addressed to Russian President Vladimir Putin," said Konstantin Tretyakov, the social media star's lawyer.

It recently became known that Chekalina's condition has worsened: the treatment yielded no results, and metastases spread throughout her body. "Unfortunately, the examination showed that metastases began to grow throughout the body: in the adrenal glands, ovaries, lungs. The cancer is progressing with new vigor. I have only one wish — to be with my family, to watch my children grow up. I don't want to die, I want to live long. I want to defeat cancer," Lerchek confessed.

Her fiancé, Argentine dancer Luis Squicciarini, with whom she had her youngest son Daniel, also expressed concern for Lera. "We urgently started treatment — the first administration of the second line of chemotherapy has already taken place. We are considering all options, including CAR-T therapy in China, and hope to get permission to fly from the court. Please pray for Lera's health," Luis said.

Lerchek's ex-husband, businessman Artem Chekalin, was sentenced to seven years in a penal colony for transferring money abroad using forged documents. Artem has not yet managed to appeal the verdict and prove his innocence.

"Lera and Artem were sure: if they gave everything and cooperated, it would be fair and good. Artem asked me to become his public defender, and I, of course, agreed. Lera and I are constantly in touch, and I really believe in this girl. In the near future, I will draft an appeal to the president, which I will ask all concerned individuals to sign. Everything that is happening is not about law, but about revenge," shared lawyer Katya Gordon, who handled the Chekalins' divorce several years ago.