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I’ve never met such nasty people as fans at Taylor Swift’s concert – I was shoved by a mum & harassed for being disabled
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A WOMAN has opened up on her horrendous experience at a Taylor Swift concert.
Holly April, an influencer also known as ‘Stoma Babe’ explained that she was continuously shoved by a mother, and was harassed by people when trying to use the toilet at Wembley Stadium.
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The mother, who wears a stoma bag and describes herself as a “Colitis warrior, Charity Ambassador, Newspaper Journalist and Podcast host”, explained that the crowd were ‘nasty’ and as a result, she won’t be going back to the stadium.
Posting on X, the content creator shared a picture of her at the Taylor Swift concert.
She wore a short red ruffle dress with a pair of silver cowboy boots and was standing for The Eras Tour show.
Holly then explained: “So Taylor Swift was epic but the crowd were not…
Read more Taylor Swift stories
“I have never dealt with such nasty people before.
“I had to keep going to the toilet and was treated with contempt whenever I went back to my spot. Despite explaining I have a medical condition.”
continued: “I was wearing my sunflower lanyard to let people know I have a hidden condition and had my backpack on with stoma supplies in.
“One lady demanded I remove my backpack even as I explained why I was wearing it.
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“She then proceeded to continuously shove me. This was a parent btw.”
Holly shared that when she was using the toilet, fans of Taylor were telling her to ‘hurry up’, as she added: “When I used the disabled toilet I was continuously harassed by people banging on the door and shouting to hurry up. This made my anxiety go through the roof.
Warning for Taylor Swift fans not to 'get caught out' with phone hacjk at concert
“So until Wembley Stadium have a safer environment for those with medical conditions. I will not be going again.”
She later explained: “Really sad as I have been to lots of concerts pre Covid and never had issues before!”
Why would you need a stoma bag?
A COLOSTOMY is an operation on the colon - a part of the bowel.
It diverts one end of the colon through an opening in the tummy, known as the stoma.
This means that the person can no longer pass poo.
The poo is instead collected in a stoma bag, which is placed over the opening.
Many people have to undergo a colostomy due to illness.
These can include:
- bowel cancer and other forms of cancer
- ulcerative colitis
- Crohn's disease
- diverticulitis
A stoma may also be necessary due to genetic disorders, birth abnormalities, after trauma to the abdomen, and following radiotherapy.
SOCIAL MEDIA USERS REACT
The post has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it has quickly gone viral, and has amassed a jaw-dropping two million views in just one day.
488 users shared the post, whilst 471 people took to the comments to express their thoughts.
I was on crutches yesterday and on the way in and out I was getting pushed
X user
Not only did others share similar experiences, but many were hopeful that Holly’s post would ‘bring about change’.
One person said: “I had the same treatment but at work.....because I had a stoma they wanted to sack me as they said no one would want to work with me. I
“I was upset and mortified...I left and never went back again... some people are cruel and nasty.”
What is Colitis?
COLITIS is a long-term condition which affects about one in every 420 people in the UK.
It can develop at any age, but is usually diagnosed in people from 15 to 25 years old.
Colitis is a condition where the colon and rectum become inflamed.
The colon is the large intestine, or bowel, and the rectum is the end of the bowel where stools are stored.
Ulcers can develop on the colon's lining and bleed and produce pus.
Symptoms can often be very mild for weeks or months but flare ups with extreme symptoms can cause a lot of pain and trouble for sufferers.
Flare ups can include painful and swollen joints, mouth ulcers, areas of painful, red and swollen skin and irritated and red eyes.
In addition to this people will often need to empty their bowels six or more times a day and have shortness of breath, a fast or irregular heartbeat, high temperature and blood in stools.
Stress can be a factor as can a gut infection.
Another added: “I am so sorry, that was so bad of people. Society seriously needs to do better!
“I was on crutches yesterday and on the way in and out I was getting pushed.”
A third commented: “Shocking, I hope that your feedback brings about changes.”
Meanwhile, someone else penned: “Really sorry to hear this, at least you are brave enough to go out to a concert. I have MS and have to self-catharsis myself and a wheelchair user.
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“Not brave enough to go to a concert, always self aware of causing inconvenience for others or getting in an inaccessible situation.”
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Why Taylor Swift tickets are WORTH forking out for
Fabulous Digital Writer Leanne Hall doesn't regret shelling out for Taylor tickets. She explains why:
Surviving The Great War for Taylor Swift tickets was no easy task.
When I first got a code, me and my friends were sure we’d be able to get good tickets at a reasonable price.
But after waiting in a queue of more than 30,000 people, and getting to the finish line we were shocked by just how expensive they were.
Most people who wanted tickets The Eras Tour were willing to spend hundreds, as were we.
But we soon thought twice when the only tickets coming up were almost £700 a pop and not even close to the stage.
Accepting defeat for now, we decided to wait it out and check the site constantly for two weeks before her ‘VIP packages’ dropped in price (A good call considering all you got was a tote bag, some postcards and a seat in the nosebleeds).
Finally prices went down to a more reasonable but still pricey £200, and we leapt at the chance to grab them.
Would I have spent this much on any other concert? Probably not, but as a die-hard Swiftie I was willing to do anything to see her in the flesh.
Personally, I love Taylor, and the fact she is performing for over three hours when most artists perform for an hour or so, makes it worth spending the extra money on.
However, £700 for a ticket is outrageous and it’s even more devastating forking out nearly £500 in the hopes of seeing her only to be conned.
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