A young woman died after suffering a seizure and collapsing at work, an inquest heard. Eliza Morris, 22, passed away on January 4 after being rushed to hospital.
Bolton Coroners' Court heard she was taken to Manchester Royal Infirmary on January 1 after she had a seizure, collapsed and hit her head on the bar at Feel Good Club in Manchester. A scan revealed a skull fracture.
Eliza - originally from Stevenage, but living in Longsight at the time of her death - was transferred to the department of neurosurgery at Salford Royal Hospital. She had surgery, but it was unsuccessful, the court heard.
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Eliza suffered at least three seizures before and after her collapse. The court heard that as a child, Eliza was diagnosed with brain arteriovenous malformation - also known as brain AVM - and had to have an operation when she was eight, which left her skull 'more vulnerable'. The court heard she was diagnosed with epilepsy in 2017.
A lover of history, music, magic and Arsenal FC, Eliza was described as 'courageous, intelligent, kind and principled' by her mother Lois, who paid tribute to her daughter in court. She commended her for her bravery in being 'who she wanted to be' after she told her family she began her journey transitioning into becoming a woman.
Lois likened Eliza to a 'dragonfly', 'darting and dipping, into ponds and pools iridescent in the sunlight'. Coroner Peter Sigee read a statement written by Eliza describing her transition.
She described '[feeling] how good' her 20s were going to be and 'did not want to miss a second'. "Being a transgender woman and celebrating it is such a deeply beautiful event to witness and experience," Eliza wrote.
"To see myself become the woman I am and loving myself more because of it feels like it was meant to happen." Eliza was a much-loved third year student in the department of art and performance at Manchester Metropolitan University.
The court heard she was awarded a posthumous degree from the university. An annual prize for students was also established in her memory.
While there was no 'direct account' of what had happened at the café - as oral testimony unavailable due to a police coroners' officer being on leave - Mr Sigee chose to accept anecdotal evidence and record a conclusion on the 'balance of probabilities'. Eliza's parents raised no issues.
Eliza's medical cause of death was recorded as traumatic brain injury. Mr Sigee concluded her death was due to natural causes as she fell following a seizure.
'She found in Manchester a perfect home'
Following the inquest, Eliza's mother and father David and Lois spoke to the Manchester Evening News. They opened up about their pride and said their daughter found her 'perfect home' in Manchester.
David and Lois said students and staff at the university were incredibly supportive following the tragedy, as were hospital staff and Eliza's landlord, who provided them with accommodation.
Referring to their full statement submitted to the court, they added: "Our darling, beautiful Eliza was born Ewan David Morris. Eliza's health was, as far as we were aware, fine with no issues.
"When she was younger, aged 8, she had a brain haemorrhage and had to have an operation. It was discovered she had Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM). There were no issues with her mental health that we were made aware of.
"Eliza was such a brave, courageous, intelligent, kind, principled beautiful human being. She had the bravery to be the person she really wanted despite any external societal pressures. That path is never easy given all the years of conditioning, but she found herself and she declared it."
In a statement, Feel Good Club said: "Eliza was a much-loved members of our team and we are all devastated. She inspired us daily and will never be forgotten."
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