I want to heal myself and be a doctor who helps others: Valeria Guerrero

Valeria Lucía Guerrero Storino, the Barranquilla who studies in Russia and who wants to return to Colombia to start the treatment against the cancer that was diagnosed, says that she wants to be cured to become a doctor and help other people to “save” their lives.

Valeria, 21 years old, from Russia told this medium the story of how she managed to get to that country to carry out her studies in medicine. It all started when in 2015 he graduated from the Atlantic Experimental Institute with good results in Icfes, with which he hoped to be able to enter a medical school in Colombia, which was not possible, he said.

In 2016, the young woman began studying biology at the Universidad del Atlántico before trying to enter a medical school. In February of that same year, a friend passed him the link where the Russian government offered scholarships and immediately filled out the form, but only until August did they reply that he should send the corresponding papers.

“Many months passed; I always thought I had not classified. I chose seven universities to send my application to and in September they let me know that it had been accepted at the Federal University of Kazan, ”said Valeria.

He arrived in Russia on November 10, 2016, he stayed in a university residence offered by the alma mater, which he had to pay annually. He immediately began to study the Russian language, and until September 2017 he began his medical career. Today is in VI semester.

Regarding the disease, she reported that in February of this year she felt “very strong pain in her back”, which intensified over the days, to the point of not letting her sleep or breathe. The young woman decided to make an appointment with a neurologist, who told her that it was suddenly neuralgia (acute pain). “They never did a study, they just checked me and at their discretion they diagnosed me.”

Given the persistence of pain, Valeria decided to go to another hospital, where they gave her an injection that calmed her pain. Then he decided to do an MRI on his own, in a private place, since the insurance policy did not cover this examination. Here a tumor appeared, so they suggested they do a contrast scan.

“I spoke to the oncologist and he told me that I had to have surgery,” explained the young woman, who at the time decided that she should return to Colombia, but did not have the means. The friends made a collection for the surgery to be performed in Russia, because their policy does not cover treatments like that.

Then they detected another mass and diagnosed him with stage 4 Hodgkins lymphoma cancer, so he had to undergo chemotherapies. The student purchased a travel ticket on March 19, but it was canceled on March 18, due to the pandemic.

Both Valeria and her family have requested help from the Foreign Ministry to return to the country, but they have told her that it is “impossible”. “The Foreign Ministry told me that there was a flight from Madrid to Colombia, but that I had to find a way to get from Russia to Madrid. Only humanitarian flights enter and leave here. ”

Likewise, she said that the Embassy asked her and the director of the faculty the value of the treatment, but so far has not received any response.

Colombians abroad

There are more than three thousand Colombians who are stranded in different countries of the world, due to the pandemic and who want to return to their country. Among those are a group of at least 70 people in India, whose return tickets were canceled because of the quarantine.

On the other hand, the dream of studying English has become a nightmare for a group of 15 young Samarians who have been in Toronto, Canada since January 2020, but with the health emergency, they have been trapped in that country.

The nationals who are stranded in different countries such as Australia, Mexico, Spain, Dubai, among others, cry out to the Colombian Government to arrange humanitarian flights for the return home.

Regarding this, the Foreign Minister of Colombia, Claudia Blum, reported that before the entry restrictions defined in Colombia and the different countries affected by the pandemic, the Foreign Ministry supported 3,196 Colombians who were on tourism or business trips and needed urgent assistance to return to the country.

Already in force the suspension of income of travelers to the country, defined in Decree 439 of 2020, the consulates have registered more than three thousand six hundred nationals who want to return and need support for their subsistence in each place where they are.

“In the Government we are defining the necessary resources to execute an assistance plan aimed at cases of people who definitely do not have their own resources for their subsistence,” added the foreign minister.