The tragedy has left loved ones heartbroken and issuing a stark warning to other students and young adults about how quickly the illness can turn fatal.

Lucas, who had recently completed a degree in international business, began experiencing headaches, fever, and fatigue in early September 2023.

“Looking back, the only thing that could have changed things would have been that knowledge of meningitis,” his brother Connor Martin told the BBC. “It felt like a really bad virus he had, but none of us thought it could be meningitis.”

Unlike many meningitis cases, Lucas showed none of the tell-tale signs, such as a rash or sensitivity to light, which made the disease almost impossible to spot in its early stages.