After it emerged that a health worker had an OnlyFans account as a way to supplement her income, there was quite an uproar. Among the most vocal and recognizable defenders she had was Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democratic congresswoman.

She definitely needed the support because the 23-year-old was demonized on many fronts.

The New York health worker, Lauren Caitlyn Kwei, decided to have an erotic OnlyFans account as a side hustle to help her 'make ends meet.'

"Leave Her Alone"

After Lauren attracted a lot of criticism for her decision, congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez came to her defense telling people to leave her alone.

She even suggested an alternative headline to the one used by the New York Post. The initial headline said: "NYC medic helped 'make ends meet' with racy OnlyFans side gig."

In a tweet, the lawmaker suggested that the headline should have been "Medics in the United States need two jobs to survive."

Lauren works with an ambulance company, SeniorCareEMS, that serves hospitals within New York City. However, she felt the need to supplement her income by opening an OnlyFans account where subscribers pay $11.99 a month.

She explained her situation recently:

"The bottom line: I don't get paid a lot. I'm just trying to make ends meet. I truly don't think this has anything to do with being a paramedic."

The woman has been working for the company since 2018, when she was making about $15 an hour.

Then she had to take a break from working to finish her paramedic training at the Center for Allied Health Education. The tuition fee was $13,200, and after the training, she made $25 an hour working for SeniorCareEMS.

Her OnlyFans Account Has No Impact On How She Treats People

Lauren wishes to quell fears that her racy side gig had an impact on how she deals with her patients:

"At the end of the day, it doesn't affect how I treat people. What I do in my free time is my business. It has no effect on how I care for my patients. I know when I'm working, I'm a paramedic. I think I'm pretty good at my job."

She only did it because she needs the money to make ends meet, just like many of her colleagues:

"There are plenty of people who are medical professionals who have every right to do what they want with their own bodies. I'm not doing it at work. Health-care workers aren't making a lot of money. And I'm not the only one trying to make ends meet."

Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, many healthcare professionals have had a tough time at work. A lot of them have to do more hours and work under harsh conditions as the number of COVID-19 patients continues to rise.

In fact, some nurses and other healthcare professionals have gone on strike with demands for more protection for themselves and their patients from the coronavirus.

Lauren's OnlyFans Account Now Deleted

After Lauren was exposed and saw the backlash that followed, she deleted her OnlyFans account. She even went as far as removing any references to this account on her Twitter page.

Lauren explained why she took this decision:

"I know SeniorCare would deem this 'inappropriate' so I took it down in the hopes that I won't lose my job in the middle of a pandemic and three weeks before Christmas."

Unemployment rose since the pandemic began, forcing the suspension of elective medical procedures to make sure more attention was given to COVID-19 patients. Layoffs and leaves of absence affected healthcare workers at 266 hospitals throughout the months of April, May, and June.

In September, some hospitals laid off some of the workers initially given leaves of absence.

Under these circumstances, then it should be totally understandable why a medic would opt to open an OnlyFans account to supplement her inadequate income.