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Student dies day after wedding

A Brasenose student has died from leukaemia the day after marrying his university sweetheart.

Matt Carver, a 22 year-old History student, was diagnosed with acute leukaemia in January, just weeks after he proposed to Nicola Godfrey, 21.

The couple had planned to be married in two years’ time but decided to bring the wedding forward after discovering Matt’s illness.

Matt and Nicola were both students at Oxford University, where they were married in the chapel at Brasenose College.

Nicola, a Maths student from New College, said she drew comfort from the commitment she and Matt made to each other before he died.

“It was a true celebration of our love and was everything that we had dreamed of since we decided to get married,” she said today.

“Matt was desperate to get married and it was such a relief to get through the day and become his wife but obviously we would have wanted more time together.

She added, “He appeared to be in the best health he had been in for a long time.

“He looked fantastic, dressed up to the nines in his top hat and tails.”

However, after one night as husband and wife, Matt’s condition worsened and was taken to the city’s John Radcliffe Hospital, where he died later on Friday.

Matt, originally from Newport, South Wales, had been a member of Brasenose’s rowing, cricket and football clubs prior to his illness. The College has lowered its flag to half-mast out of respect.

Chaplain the Rev Graeme Richardson said, “He was an outstanding all-round student, who was involved in many aspects of the college.”

Nicola, a maths student at New College, said, “Matt was the kind of person who put his heart and soul into everything they did. He was a fantastic man and I will miss him very much.”

Brasenose College issued a statement today which said, “He was a bright and enthusiastic student, passionate about the study of history; and also a popular and talented all-rounder. He contributed to all aspects of community life.

“Matt bore his illness with great fortitude and cheerfulness, supported by his fiancée Nicola, his two younger sisters, and his loving parents.”

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