Jack Fitzwater on the effects of Ulcerative Colitis......
"I was going to the toilet between 20-30 times a day. It was embarrassing and difficult from a mental and physical side. I was thinking to myself deep down, am I going to have to quit football?"
On the pitch, footballer Jack Fitzwater appeared to be at the peak of health and fitness, making more than 100 appearances for Scottish Premiership side Livingston between 2020 and 2023 before joining Exeter City last summer.
But off the pitch, the 26-year-old defender was suffering with an intolerable health issue that was affecting every aspect of his life.
"It started with having an urgency to go to the toilet," he told BBC Sport. "I thought it might be something I'd eaten or maybe I was lacking in iron.
"I made loads of excuses up to myself and hid it from everyone. Every time I went out, I'd be thinking about where the nearest toilet was in case I had the urgency to go.
"Every time I went to the toilet, there was blood in it. After matches, I was finding that my recovery was taking longer; I was tired all the time, no matter how much sleep I got."
Fitzwater was able to mask his symptoms, but only for so long. It was during a family holiday in Ibiza last summer that he reached breaking point.
Fitzwater added: "I knew of the word Crohn's but not colitis, so then I went on Instagram and Twitter to check out what it was.
"You think it's the end of the world at the time. But then when you know there's medication that can help you, you feel better about it."
Ulcerative colitis can develop at any age but is most often diagnosed in people aged between 15 and 25 years old.
Fitzwater was put on medication which he says has made him feel better than ever before.
Since joining League One side Exeter in September, he says the club, the manager and the players have given him their full support. He also decided to post on his private social media account in December to coincide with Crohn's and Colitis Awareness Week and tell people about his diagnosis.
"The reaction to my post was great. About four or five people got back to me after the post, saying 'I've been struggling with this for years', or 'I've been having similar symptoms and I'm going to go and see a GP'.
"So I thought on that small reach, if I actually publicly say 'I'm a footballer. We are normal humans. We have day-to-day problems and vulnerabilities' then people might think, 'You know what, if he can do it and speak to a doctor, so can I'."
Fitzwater has also become a member of Crohn's and Colitis UK, who have given him a special card and a master key which allows him to access more than 9,000 locked public toilets.
"Because it's a hidden disability and people see a young, fit, healthy man using disabled toilets, they might give me a strange look," said Fitzwater.
"But little things like the card and the key are massive for the community that I'm now a part of."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/68227102
