Traffic cop seeks to raise awareness of colitis

8 February 2021

A West Midlands traffic officer living with ulcerative colitis and trying to raise awareness of the condition has been featured on the website of the UK’s leading charity for those with Crohn’s disease and colitis.

Mark Woodcock had previously taken to Twitter to try to educate forces in particular about the conditions and to support others with similar health issues. The Force has also set up an official Twitter account for him to continue his campaign.

“I joined Twitter to spread awareness of Crohn’s and colitis and increase the visibility of police officers working with those health conditions,” Mark explained, “I watched all the UK charity’s videos and they were brilliant but then I wondered how I could help.”

Ulcerative colitis is a form of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBS) - an auto-immune condition which causes the body’s immune system to attack itself. In Mark’s case, this was his colon tissue, causing it to become inflamed and painful. The condition affects one in every 420 people and is commonly diagnosed in people aged 15 to 25.

After first joining West Midlands Police as a Special and then a PCSO, the 33-year-old father of two has been with the Force for 14 years and currently works for the Central Motorway Policing Group. He was diagnosed five years shortly after getting married to Becky, who is a West Midlands DC.

He explained: “It was probably about six months after I got married. We’d been on holiday to the Canary Islands and I had an omelette and was really bad that night with sickness and diarrhoea for about two days. I think that was the trigger for me. A month after that holiday, I started to bleed from the backside.

“I was unable to work for three months. On my worst days, I’d make 15 trips to the toilet with bloody diarrhoea, constant fatigue, mouth ulcers and swollen joints. I couldn’t go out of the house without the fear of having an accident and I really struggled with the fatigue. My daughter was only one then and I struggled to pick her up or play with my lad.”

Mark was able to return to work with the help of daily immuno-suppressant medication, joint therapy and additional immuno-suppressant treatment every eight weeks. He was told in 2019 that he was in remission and was taken off the medication but he was admitted to hospital again last summer with a ‘flare-up’ and was faced with a life-changing decision in an extraordinary situation.

“I knew things were getting worse. We went out for an anniversary meal and I couldn’t drink the beer or eat the food. I thought ‘if you can’t drink beer there’s something wrong’. I was eventually given two choices: try one last medication with a 20 per cent chance of success or have my colon removed.

“I’m not a betting man but I know they’re not good odds plus it wasn’t a permanent fix so I’d just have been delaying the inevitable. I kept thinking I couldn’t keep doing this to my kids.

“Because of Covid-19 I was in hospital on my own and had to make this life-changing decision on Facetime with my wife. We decided the removal of the colon - an ileostomy - would be the best course of action which meant I’d have a stoma fitted.”

Mark had his surgery on 19 August 2020 and says just two days later he started to feel better.
“All the symptoms had gone. I felt amazing. The worst thing was having to spend three weeks in hospital without seeing my family. But it was worth every second as now I’m getting my life back,” he explains.

Mark will have to undergo further surgery but says he has been inspired by contacting other police officers who have stomas.

“I just want to help others who may be experiencing similar things to me,” he said, “I’ve been in touch with @ColitisCop who shared his experience of returning to the frontline with a stoma and the help and advice I’ve gained has really inspired me.”

“West Midlands Police and, in particular, my line managers, have been amazing. I can’t sing their praises enough. They’ve taken the time to learn about my condition and have supported me with time off for hospital appointments and any adjustments I’ve needed to enable me to continue my role as a traffic cop.”

He adds: “I would just like to acknowledge Dr Waraich and his team at Walsall Manor Hospital. I am extremely grateful for everything they’ve done for me. They were truly amazing considering what a tough year they’ve had.”

Mark can be followed on Twitter at @StomaCopWMP

The UK charity's website address is: www.crohnsandcolitis.org.uk