Tributes have been paid to a "courageous and intelligent" young woman who died after suffering a seizure while at work and hitting her head on the bar at a Manchester club. Eliza Morris, 22, was rushed to hospital for surgery after collapsing but later passed away.
Eliza, who worked at the Feel Good Club coffee shop and bar, died three days after she suffered a seizure, collapsed and hit her head on January 1 this year. The young woman, who was diagnosed with epilepsy in 2017, was transferred from Manchester Royal Infirmary to Salford Royal Hospital for surgery after suffering a skull fracture in the fall, but it was not successful.
An inquest into the Manchester Metropolitan University student's death was held at Bolton Coroner's Court. The court heard how Eliza was diagnosed with a brain arteriovenous malformation - also known as brain AVM - when she was eight and needed to have surgery which left her skull more vulnerable, the Manchester Evening News reported.
The young woman's devastated mother Lois paid tribute to her "kind and principled" daughter in court. She also commended Eliza's bravery for "being who she wanted to be" after she told her family she was transitioning to become a woman.
She also told how her daughter loved history, magic, music and supporting Arsenal FC, and described her as "courageous, intelligent, kind and principled".
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."
The court heard how Eliza, who was a third-year student in the department of art and performance, 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 was 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.
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: "Eliza's health was, as far as we were aware, fine with no issues.
"When she was younger, aged eight, 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."
