21-year-old student passed away only days after believing they had 'fresher's flu', prompting a warning from the family

Lucas Martin and his family assumed he had a mild flu, but it was far more dangerous

The family of a student who sadly passed away just days after believing he had 'fresher's flu' has issued a serious warning to young adults not to underestimate illnesses.

Lucas Martin, from England, had recently graduated from the University of Liverpool with a degree in international business when he died less than a week after feeling unwell.

His brother, Connor, is now encouraging young people to take symptoms seriously, after the family mistook Lucas’ fever and headaches for the common illnesses students often experience at the start of term, known as 'fresher's flu' in the UK.

Connor, a software engineer, shared: "He had no clear signs of any major illness. He became unwell about a week before being admitted to the hospital, and we all thought it was just freshers flu.

“He spent a lot of time in his room, and unfortunately, we weren’t monitoring him very closely. We, and he, simply assumed it was a severe case of the flu.

"His condition would fluctuate, and we’d think he was recovering, only for him to worsen again - but never to a point where we were seriously alarmed.”

Without the knowledge of the 21-year-old and his family, he had contracted meningitis - a dangerous disease that leads to inflammation around the brain.

Lucas didn’t show some of the typical symptoms of meningitis, such as a rash or light sensitivity, which made it more difficult to identify.

“He just had flu-like symptoms,” his 29-year-old brother mentioned.

Lucas had been spending the summer at his family home on the Isle of Man, taking on part-time jobs and contemplating his future plans.

Connor thinks his younger brother’s active lifestyle might have contributed to the onset: “He was working hard, so whether that played a role, I’m not sure.”

After five days of feeling unwell, Lucas’ dad, Brett, called him and noticed something was off - he was 'mumbling and not making sense'.

With Connor in Birmingham and their parents visiting Lucas' brother in Edinburgh, his uncle went to check on Lucas and discovered him in a terrible condition.

He was taken to the hospital, diagnosed with meningitis, and placed in an induced coma.

Tragically, Lucas never regained consciousness and was declared dead on September 12, 2023.

“We describe him as a force of nature,” Connor said. “He was very entrepreneurial... just a very driven, personable young man. He was taken too soon.”

Connor hopes his brother’s story serves as a warning to others.

“If you're worried, take action. Don’t just dismiss it as flu. We work hard not to blame ourselves - we just didn’t think of it," he added.

You can read more about Lucas' story and support the charity established in his name here: Looky's Aid