A FAMILY have spoken of their shock after the sudden death of their son aged just 22.

Will Hartley went to see his doctor on December 7 after complaining of feeling ill and was sent to Wycombe Hospital.

He immediately checked himself into A&E and was placed under intensive care, before being transferred days later to a specialist lung unit in Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, on December 10. But he was unable to recover and died on January 18.

The cause of death for the former Royal Grammar School (RGS) pupil is still a mystery, with doctors struggling to even diagnose his condition.

Mother Gill Hartley, 61, of Sedgmoor Gardens, Flackwell Heath, said his death had left the family devastated.

She said: "It was unexpected and very sudden. It took everyone by storm."

Will, who was brought up in Beaconsfield, was a talented student and received a first class honours degree in history from Birmingham University.

As a youngster he attended Butlers Court School in Beaconsfield and Gayhurst School in Gerrards Cross.

He was in the middle of applying to become an Anglican minister when he was struck down with illness.

Father Edwin Hartley, 57, a contracts manager, said: "He was just our rock and a support for us all. We are distressed and distraught. "

Mrs Hartley added: "He was quite a funny guy, very sensitive, quite unassuming and a humble kind of lad."

Will's funeral was held last Monday in Christ Church, Flackwell Heath, and up to 300 people attended. They included friends from university and family from as far as America.

Carole Jaycock, 59, of Flackwell Heath, a friend of the family, said: "He was very special and he was like a son to us.

"He was an absolute star and I would have been proud to call him my son."

Roger Pantridge, deputy head of RGS, said: "Obviously we were shocked at the news. Everyone was very fond of him."

Will's family told the Free Press how he had won the hearts of the staff at Glenfield Hospital during his stay.

He was treated using the ECMO programme (Extra-Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation), which is the first of its kind in the country. The system helps patients with respiratory problems and acts as an artificial lung.

The family are asking for donations to the ECMO Trust Fund via Arnold Funeral Service. Send them to 891 London Road, Loudwater, High Wycombe, HP10 9TB.