Plankgas for Huntington: Cabaret Benefit to Fight Hereditary Disease

by Matthijs Rorije

Cabaret with a mission: laughing at a fate you wouldn’t wish on anyone. Former Ladies Circle friends organize a benefit and the proceeds go to the fight against Huntington.

In the Netherlands, 1700 people suffer from Huntington’s disease. It is a deadly and hereditary disease with symptoms of ALS, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. A lot of research is being done, but it requires a lot of money. That is why next Friday evening the benefit cabaret evening “Plankgas voor Huntington” will be organized in the Wennekerpand. All proceeds go to Campaign Team Huntington.

Marije Scholl has known since 2012 that she is a gene carrier for Huntington’s disease. “I know it’s coming”. She is a guest in the Schiedam/Vlaardingen talk show Onder Ogen, together with Patricia Wessels, initiator of the benefit show Plankgas for Huntington.

Marije: “If your family has it, you have a 50% chance that you have it yourself.” There’s a lot of shame. Marije explains: “The symptoms can resemble being drunk. My mother was a very stately lady, she was a civil registrar in Schiedam, was involved in politics for the CDA. At one point she got trouble when she was in the “Beatrixpark was running and people warned me that my mother was an alcoholic, that she would really drink too much alcohol. That is super intense if that is told about your mother. Then patients prefer to stay at home.”

“It’s something that hangs over your head all the time. If you drop something from your hands, or can’t come out of your words for once, you’re already afraid it’s started,” says Marije. There are all kinds of consequences if you are a gene carrier, for example you can take out a smaller mortgage than people who are not a gene carrier. “As a self-employed person you cannot get insurance”.

This is an excerpt from the 273rd episode of the live television program Onder Ogen. Watch the full episode here: face-to-face-mayor-jules-axe-tram-21-special-olympics-world-games-and-huntington-sickness

Onder Ogen is LIVE every Friday from 20:00, from TV studio Korenbeurs.
If you have any tips for our program or questions for our guests, please let us know!

Would you like to receive the latest news, the latest videos and a look behind the scenes at SCHIE in your mailbox every day? Subscribe to our free newsletter: