showbiz Singer Meis (30), granddaughter of Boudewijn de Groot, has been living without a stomach for almost seven years. She had it removed preventively and now tells her story on her debut album. “I often think: why on earth did I have this operation to live longer, while the quality of life has deteriorated so much?”
Nowadays, when Aysha de Groot, stage name Meis, has to explain to someone that she no longer has a stomach, she usually starts with a joke. “I lost my virginity at the age of 24.” Every day since then, a large scar in the middle of her abdomen has reminded her of the procedure in the hospital that extended her life but reduced its quality.
Aysha’s risk of stomach cancer, the disease that took the lives of her grandmother (29) and mother (42) at a young age, was 70 to 80 percent. “My mother died when I was 8, so when I was 18 I was able to have it tested to see if it was hereditary. Because the same thing had happened to my grandmother, it seemed that way.” Not much later the first symptoms were noticed. “Apparently there was something in my body that wanted me dead.”
“It’s now seven years later, I still have ailments from it and I still don’t have the same energy level as before the procedure,” she explains. “I also often think: why on earth did I have this operation to live longer, while the quality of life has deteriorated so much?” In the hospital she kept a diary, which she used for the lyrics on her new album ‘Black/White’. It is not only the title of her album, it also characterizes Meis’ character. “With me everything is black or white, but especially the first.”
Her grandfather, who knows better than anyone what publicity means due to his great fame, asked her if she was really sure that she wanted to make her entire story public. “I get that, he has sixty years of experience. It’s a good warning. But he is proud, you know.” The album cover is also remarkable, in which the singer clearly shows her scar. “Showing this was part of the process of making the record, it now feels like a victory,” he said.
One thing is still a big question mark for Aysha: children. “I really want to have children, but there is a 50 percent chance that I will pass on that gene. I definitely don’t want to give birth to a child who has to go through the same thing as me, I think that would be too selfish.”
The record cover of Zwart/wit, Meis’s debut album. © 541/NEWS Records
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2024-02-09 14:57:27
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