Yahoo Finance ‘Can’t believe it’: $75k gift as struggling paramedic exposed for sexy side gig
A struggling paramedic in the US has received over US$57,000 (AU$75,420) in donations, after she was exposed by a publication over her OnlyFans side hustle.
The paramedic, Lauren Kwei, was interviewed by the NY Post earlier this week about low wages for emergency medical technicians (EMT). In the article, Kwei revealed that to make ends meet she posts explicit images on popular content-sharing site, OnlyFans, for subscribers to view for US$11.99 per month.
Kwei has been working as an EMT for nearly two years, and is reportedly paid around US$15 an hour. The 23-year-old paramedic said she asked the publication to remain anonymous, and only took part in the interview to raise awareness about the low wages of frontline workers during the pandemic.
Kwei, who looks after her ill father, revealed she is now “at risk” of losing her job as the conduct is likely deemed “inappropriate” by her workplace, she said.
But the public’s response to Kwei’s situation has been overwhelmingly positive.
“Leave her alone,” Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. “The actual scandalous headline here is ‘Medics in the United States need two jobs to survive’.”
Leave her alone. The actual scandalous headline here is “Medics in the United States need two jobs to survive”
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 14, 2020
On the day the article was published, a GoFundMe was organised for Kwei, and it’s now amassed more than $75,000 in donations.
“Over the past 3 days, my life and the intimate details of it have been made public for millions of strangers to read and judge,” Kwei said.
“I know my actions have consequences and I know some of you think I was naïve... I LOVE my job and I love taking care of people,” she continued.
“I don’t want to quit my day job and get my bag on OnlyFans — I want to serve the city of New York.
“That’s all I have ever wanted to do. I have always believed in using my voice to speak for those who may not be heard. I was raised to ALWAYS show kindness and compassion.”
Kwei said her workplace had asked to speak to her in person, but she is currently in a different state looking after her father.
She thanked the public for their donations, saying “I cannot believe this is my life and I truly do not deserve all this.”
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