Story By: Anastasia Smirnova, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder,Agency: Central European News 

This leading Russian oncologist has died after an unsuccessful fight with cancer which saw him treating patients whilst ill himself.

Andrey Pavlenko was the head of the oncological centre at the National Medical and Surgical Centre named after N.I. Pirogov in Russia’s second city of St Petersburg.

Father-of-three Andrey was diagnosed with stage-three stomach cancer in spring 2018.

The latent tumour had developed without showing any signs and the doctor had been fighting it since its discovery.

The doctor continued working and even operating on patients despite his illness.

He also started a blog where he would share everything he was going through and he shared tips with other cancer patients on how to deal with issues.

Andrey started a new fund called Cancer Fund and was an avid speaker at various international conferences, while undergoing eight rounds of chemotherapy as well as complicated surgery.

On 1st January 2020, he posted a touching message on his social media account reading: “My friends! My life is coming to an end. Unfortunately my illness has turned out to be much meaner than expected and did not leave me any other chances in the past two months.

“I would like to warn everyone who is at this stage of treatment. Do not give up! Statistics can be a stubborn thing but there are chances for survival even with a diagnosis like mine. You simply have to believe.”

Then he added that he “simply got unlucky”’ and thanked everyone for bearing with him.

His wife Anna Gegechkori shared a post saying that the kindhearted doctor had passed away at 8.20 am on 5th January at the age of 41.

Netizen ‘Tata’ said: “I feel so sorry for him.”

And ‘Victoria’ added: “Why is it like that? A person like him should live, treat patients. Life is so unfair.”

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