Rugby player's stoma bag gives him 'second chance'

A rugby league player who underwent "life-saving" surgery has described being able to get back on the pitch with a stoma bag as a "second chance".

Michael Adams, 30, from Harrogate, from North Yorkshire, spent several weeks in "pure agony" with ulcerative colitis after falling seriously ill on Boxing Day last year.

After recovery, he is now back to playing the sport with his stoma bag as part of physical disability rugby league side Colostomy UK.

"It just shows people that you can go and do whatever you want," he said.

Mr Adams spent 12 years in the British Army as part of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.

After leaving in 2023, he planned to move to Australia and had found a new job and a local rugby side to join.

"Unfortunately, just before I left on Boxing Day I got sick," he said.

"My whole intestine was inflamed and filled with ulcers and it was pure agony."

Michael spent seven weeks in hospital undergoing treatment before making the decision to have a stoma fitted.

"Nothing was working for me - I was having different therapies, different drugs to try and none of them were working," he said.

"Me and my mum sat there and had a little cry and the next day I was shipped off to get a stoma bag."

The Colostomy UK charity wants to encourage more people to "see stoma bags as life enabling rather than life limiting", even whilst playing high-contact sports.

"It was a mental challenge of coming from being in the Army and being a strong fit healthy person to being down at the bottom," he said.

"My goal was to get back on the rugby pitch and I managed to do that in 12 weeks post-surgery - not sure my stoma nurse would be too happy with me saying that, but I absolutely loved it."

He added: "The stoma doesn't actually have any feeling whatsoever, so if I take a knock it doesn't hurt at all."

According to the NHS, ulcerative colitis is a form of inflammatory bowel disease where the colon and rectum become inflamed.

Painful ulcers can develop on the lining of the large intestine (bowel).

There often aren't specific triggers for flare-ups and it is unclear what causes the immune system to behave this way.

It can be treated with medication for most people, but in serious cases part or all of the intestine is removed and diverted through an opening in the abdomen.

A stoma bag is attached to the outside of the body to collect waste and is changed when necessary.

Christine Adams, his mother, said: "From him saying he was going have the stoma to where he's got to now is absolutely brilliant.

"I'm so pleased for him, he's doing so well."

Colostomy UK says about 200,000 people live with a stoma bag in the UK - around one in every 335 people.

"You do have to be careful playing a contact collision sport with a stoma, but there are little things that our players do to just make sure that they can play safely," said team manager Giovanni Cinque.

"Some will wear a compression top, some will wear a support belt."

Mr Adams uses social media to help others who are going through similar issues and wants to raise awareness of life with a stoma.

"It's been absolutely brilliant for people to come on and message me and ask me little questions about stuff that they might be worried about," he added.

"I'm really excited to see where it goes."

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