Peter van Stokkom from Rijen has had a urostomy for twenty-five years and believes that the bag containing feces is being removed from the taboo atmosphere by Jan Biggel’s new carnival song. Erica van Leeuen from Tilburg has a urinary and intestinal stoma and finds the song terrible. “What precedes such a stoma is a lot of misery.”
“I had a brain tumor. Something went wrong during the operation, which left me in a coma for thirteen weeks. When I woke up, I was paralyzed from head to toe, including my bladder. That’s why I have an intestinal and urinary stoma “, says Erica.
She believes that a stoma is glorified in the song ‘M’n Oma Die Heb ‘n Stoma’ by Jan Biggel. “The grandmother hosting with her stoma and the bottles of beer flying around make it seem fun, but having a stoma is no fun.”
“People are distant about it.”
Peter from Rijen thinks the song is a light-hearted way to talk about the stoma. “You don’t hear much about it in the media. People are distant about it, which makes it a taboo,” he says.
Peter can understand the criticism of the song, but he himself has no problems with it. “I don’t think Jan makes fun of the stoma. He presents it in a fun and correct way, I think.”
Erica couldn’t believe what she heard when she listened to the song for the first time. “It hurt inside and caused sadness,” she says.
There is one sentence in particular that hurts her. “Grandma, grandma, you deserve a diploma for this scent,” Jan sings in the song.
“I spend all day worrying about whether other people can smell me. I prefer not to eat with other people, because then my stoma starts to simmer. I always have to take into account what I eat, what I drink and where I go “, says Erica.
“Didn’t choose the easiest path.”
The singer from Liempde says he wants to make the stoma a topic of discussion with his song. “I did not choose the easiest path, I realize that. But I do make the subject open for discussion,” says Jan.
That is not possible with Erica. “Couldn’t that have been done with a normal song or a report on TV? That could also be light-hearted,” she asks herself.
Peter doesn’t miss it and sings along to the song at the top of his lungs. “It clearly reflects what I experience when I celebrate carnival. Jan immediately removes the taboo atmosphere, which is ideal.”
WE WROTE THIS PREVIOUSLY ABOUT MUCH-Discussed CARNIVAL CRACKERS:
Carnival cracker about stoma causes a lot of fuss: ‘A lot of shit all over me’
‘Pull out’ or ‘put on the burqa’: these carnival squatters caused a stir