I know how hard it is to rejoin the workforce – it took me 20 years

‘You’ve got the job.’ 

When I heard those words, you could have knocked me over with a feather. 

For 20 years I’d been out of employment, not that that had been my choice, and a part of me truly thought that I’d never work again, that no one would ever be able to see past my disabilities long enough to give me a chance. 

I’m so grateful I was wrong. 

I left school at age 16 with no qualifications and no real plan for my life. I did, however, have experience working in retail so I forged a career for myself in this area. 

Before I knew it, more than a decade of stacking shelves at the local supermarket and packing orders for a frozen foods company had passed. And that’s where the trouble really began… 

One evening in July 2002, not long after I married my wife, I was taking a bath when I noticed some hard skin on the bottom of my left foot. 

Not thinking much of it, I immediately reached for the pumice stone to take the roughness away. However, I must have done it too hard as a blister formed soon after and, when that popped, an ulcer formed. 

You wouldn’t think that something as innocuous as trying to remove dead skin could cause a problem like this, but, I have Type 1 diabetes and that complicates matters. 

Having high blood sugar levels can affect circulation meaning less blood is supplied to the feet. This can then make it harder for things like cuts and sores to heal, which can lead to infections, ulcers and, at worst, amputations. 

As my wife was a nurse she knew the signs and insisted I go to the hospital. 

For months afterwards doctors did their best to treat the infected skin but it was no use. The infection had already begun to spread into the bones of my toes and, in January 2003, I was told that doctors had no choice but to amputate them. 

Surprisingly, I wasn’t too worried about this.  

‘Better to lose my toes than my life.’ I’d say. 

But, after the amputation, life was anything but normal.  

The pain I’d been struggling with for months before the op remained and was now joined by a lack of balance and a burgeoning ulcer on my right foot.  

As a result, I couldn’t stand too long – not ideal when your job requires you to keep moving to pack orders – and so, my bosses had no choice but to let me go. I was devastated. 

Retail was all I’d ever known. If I couldn’t do that any more, then what was I capable of? 

I believed the answer to that was nothing, so, for the next seven years, I never considered getting another job. 

Besides, as I was having to go to hospital three times a week to receive treatment on my right foot, it didn’t seem fair to look for work when I knew I couldn’t commit to a full time job. 

Without a doubt, that was the lowest time of my life. I felt a nuisance and a bother to everyone because I didn’t feel I could help or contribute in any way. It made me depressed and, I’ll be honest, on two occasions I did attempt suicide. 

Luckily my wife found me in time on both occasions and got me the help I needed. 

Still, my physical complications continued. 

In 2010 doctors amputated half of my right foot and then, just three years after that, I was told the persistent infection in my left foot had spread deeper into the bone – they’d need to amputate again, and this time, I would lose the lower part of my leg. 

This time, I was frightened. 

‘Well… that’s it, isn’t it.’ I thought to myself. I believed that there was no way my life could get back to ‘normal’ now. I’d never be independent or able to work again. 

In reality, after the amputation in January 2014, things did briefly improve. 

My pain (aside from the odd phantom pains) vanished. I got a prosthetic fitted and learned to walk again – unaided by crutches, too – and I even learned to drive. 

I probably would have started applying for jobs too but, at the time, my mother-in-law became unwell so, my wife and I essentially became full-time carers. And I’ll admit, it was nice to finally feel and be useful again.  

Sadly, in 2017 I got another ulcer on my right leg and, after fighting it for another four years, the doctors inevitably said that they were going to have to take my other leg. 

I was frustrated, upset. How much more of this would I have to endure? 

What would happen now? Would I be able to manage walking on two false legs? Would I still be able to drive? Was this going to be another huge step backwards? I didn’t know. 

I couldn’t even think about going back to work at that point – I just assumed no one would take a chance on a bi-lateral amputee.  

And then something wonderful happened… 

After having the car adapted and learning to walk unaided on my new prosthetics, I found a new routine, part of which was taking my father in law for breakfast at a local café every day and it was there that I encountered Maximus – a specialist employment support organisation that helps people who have a disability, health condition or criminal record get back into employment – for the first time. 

With help from someone at the Job Centre I sent my details off to them and within a couple of weeks I was sitting face to face with an employment advisor called Nicola. 

We talked about my experience – my work in retail, my amputations, and caring for my in-laws – in detail and then she turned to me with a smile. 

‘You’d be good as a carer.’ She said. 

I was a bit shocked to say the least. I’d always assumed I’d go back into retail but I was also not about to shut the idea down – I was willing to give anything a try. 

Nicola proceeded to tell me about a job vacancy at Cera – the UK’s largest digital-first home healthcare provider – to work as a care support worker.

This involves delivering personal care for elderly or vulnerable people, feeding them, tucking them into bed, helping them with medication, helping them stay clean and comfortable, doing their washing up and anything they need help with around their home.   

There was no harm in trying so, I filled in the application and just a few weeks later I had a phone interview. 

I never expected to be offered the job on the spot, but I was and I gladly, gratefully and speedily accepted. And it’s been the best decision I ever made. 

Following four days of training, I officially started my new job in February this year. 

Pulling on my uniform for the first time was amazing. And while it was a far cry from stacking shelves, I instantly found I loved the job.  

Listening to people’s stories, helping them do even ordinary things, felt (and still feels) incredibly rewarding and I’m proud to be one of almost 10,000 carers, nurses and physiotherapists delivering 2million patient home visits a month for Cera. It’s the best job I’ve ever done. 

I only wish I’d found Cera sooner or that more companies could be as open minded. If they were, maybe I would not have been out of work for so long, maybe I could have taken control of my life sooner. 

Because a disability – whether it’s visible or not – does not mean we aren’t capable of working. Most of us would do anything for a normal 9-5, but we have to be given the chance to do so. All we need is a helping hand to get started. 

Mark is one of thousands of people Cera is helping back into the workforce after long-term unemployment or economic inactivity. More than a quarter of new recruits to the technology-led home healthcare company were previously unemployed, and more than 5% live with a disability.

As told to Emma Rossiter 

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