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Mum wins battle to honour son after university 'U-turn'

The Sentinel

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July 22, 2025

She will pick up the posthumous award today following student’s death during degree

- Thomas Cooper

Mum wins battle to honour son after university 'U-turn'

A BRAVE mum has won her fight to get a posthumous honour for her tragic son.

Matthew Gray was living in Endon and studying law at Staffordshire University when he passed away from sudden unexpected death in epilepsy in December 2022.

The 21-year-old - who had battled autism, dyslexia and epilepsy - had started the course in September 2021 and would have graduated this month.

Mum Louise Gray, who now lives in Cheshire, supported an application for a posthumous honour. But she was knocked back and turned to The Sentinel before the university U-turn.

Louise said: “He used to spend a lot of time in his room, playing on his PC with his friends. I came into his room one day in December 2018 and found him on the floor.

“I thought he'd just fallen asleep. But it turned out he'd had a seizure. He had another one that month before he was diagnosed with epilepsy in February 2019.

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