Andrew Lane's graduation from the University of Teesside with a Master of Science degree in advanced manufacturing systems will be a truly special occasion, as he battled to overcome serious illness twice during his studies.

Not only did he suffer a heart attack, he later contracted meningococcal meningitis. Following his recovery from meningitis, he was then diagnosed as dyslexic.

Father-of-three Andrew, 36, of Middlesbrough, originally enrolled on the Higher National Diploma in welding and fabrication.

He said: "It was really difficult. I had no problems with assignments, but with exams could not remember the work."

He progressed to a BSc in advanced manufacturing systems with business, but then suffered a heart attack. After he recovered, course tutor Dr Farhad Nabhani suggested that Andrew transfer to the one-year assignment-based MSc.

Then, one day later, he developed a severe headache, one of the early signs of meningitis.

Andrew said: "The headache kept snowballing, my neck ached, I felt confused and couldn't stand the light. My wife, Angela, is a nurse and said I had to go to hospital immediately."

Angela said: "I was terrified. The doctor said Andrew would have had an hour to live if I hadn't spotted it."

He took a year off from the MSc. On his return, he sought advice from the university's Students' Union and undertook assessment tests set by the Dyslexia Society, which revealed his dyslexia.

He said: "It's been an eight-year climb and so many people at the university have been fantastic. Above all, I couldn't have achieved this without Angela. She's been a tower of strength. We're going to have a big celebration when I graduate."