The heartbroken mother of a 21-year-old woman who died after she was struck with meningitis has told how they mistook her symptoms for a hangover. 

Forensic science student Jennifer Gray caught a cold in early April which lingered before she went out clubbing with university friends a few weeks later. 

She woke up the next morning with a headache and had a quiet day in her room, before taking some painkillers. 

But within 48 hours of going out with her pals she was put into an induced coma and diagnosed with meningitis, before passing away the next day, on April 18. 

Jennifer's mother Edwina, 52, from Paisley, Renfrewshire, said: "You never think for a minute that your child is seriously ill. 

"I think the symptoms were so vague, it could easily have been a hangover." 

Forensic science student Jennifer caught a cold in early April, which bothered her for a couple of weeks. 

She went out to a club with university friends on Friday 15 April and woke up the next morning with a headache. 

Occupational therapist Edwina said: "She stayed in her room and she thought she had a hangover. 

"She was just her normal self but she was sick a couple of times. She had a sore head but she wasn't wanting any paracetamol. 

"On the Sunday she said she still had a headache so I gave her two brufen. I went out and she texted me to say that her head was still hurting." 

Jennifer called NHS 24 later that day, April 17, and went to the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley. 

Edwina said: "She didn't have the common symptoms. They asked her if she had a rash and she said 'no'. 

"They told her to go to the RAH and when I got there she looked really bad. She had deteriorated really badly. 

"When we got her down to the hospital she was very quiet but she was losing consciousness when we got her there. That's when we started to worry." 

After Jennifer lost consciousness, she was taken to intensive care where they put her into an induced coma and diagnosed her with meningitis. 

She was transferred to neurosurgery at Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital where doctors tried to revive her. 

But Edwina and her husband Jamie were told at 7.30pm that there was nothing more that could be done. 

The bereaved parent said that there was no way to tell how ill Jennifer was before she lost consciousness. 

Edwina said: "The GP would have said that they wouldn't have been able to tell because her symptoms were so vague. 

"Even then I thought she just had a cold as she only had the headache. I thought she needed antibiotics. 

"Obviously I knew about meningitis and the risks for teens and students but the symptoms were so vague and she didn't have a rash." 

Since Jennifer's death, her parents and friends have come together to raise around £10,000 for the Meningitis Research Fund (MRF). 

Edwina collected £3,000 at a coffee morning and a friend's Just Giving page has raised £800. 

She said: "It's quite a lot of money that we raise at each event." 

Jennifer's friend Lewis Hogg also painted the student's portrait, which Edwina hopes to sell as prints for charity. 

Pal Ewan McDermott has designed t-shirts for Edwina and her friends to wear for a 10k race on 2 October.

The group will be racing as Jenn's Tartan Army on the March. 

Edwina said: "She made a huge impact on people's lives. It was a massive shock. 
"The community has been really fantastic. She was a really well known girl. 

"Her friends come round to mine all the time. They want to hear things from me about her. 

"They are all 21 years old, they're just young adults. She was a great friend to them and they miss her so much." 

MRF Scotland Manager, Mary Millar said, "We are so grateful to Edwina and Jamie for raising awareness during Meningitis Awareness Week. 

"Young people at university or college are particularly at risk of meningitis and septicaemia because they mix with so many other students, some of whom are unknowingly carrying the bacteria. 

"Meningitis can develop suddenly and progress rapidly. Early symptoms include headache, vomiting, muscle pain, fever, and cold hands and feet. 

"Students should be alert to the symptoms and should not wait for a rash to develop before seeking medical attention urgently."