Star sports journalism student graduates with flying colours after overcoming autoimmune disease

Edward Hayton, 21, from Doncaster, is a talented sportswriter whose work has been published by the Daily Mail, Press Association, The Yorkshire Post and The Liverpool Echo.

However, whilst Ed has excelled in establishing himself within his chosen industry, his achievements have come despite facing periods of extreme exhaustion and fatigue as a result of an overactive thyroid that has impacted his studies since the age of 16.

The condition, sometimes known as hyperthyroidism, means that Ed’s thyroid gland in his neck produces an irregular amount of hormones. It’s meant that since studying his A-levels and throughout the three years of University, Ed has had to battle bouts of serious fatigue and nausea.

Due to the side effects, Ed was hampered during his A-level exams and after arriving at Salford in 2022, then faced a difficult first year as his doctors sought to identify the appropriate strength of medication in order to moderate the condition’s worst symptoms.

Ed said: “When I was doing my A-levels, I was predicted to get really good grades and I was doing really well in my exams.

“But then I got ill and it was like ‘What am I doing? Am I bottling it all?’ I just kept thinking that I was being lazy and just generally unmotivated. My grades, which had started at As and A*s, started to fall quickly as I was knackered all of the time.

“During my first year at Salford, I was getting quite sick, particularly during my first year exams. I was able to get through it, but I don’t think many people around me knew that I was struggling.

“Over the years, my results kind of skyrocketed and have gone on an upwards trajectory, as we’ve been able to get my medication right.”

In November 2024, during Ed’s final year of studies, he undertook radioactive iodine therapy in order to finally bring his symptoms under control. The process involved taking a radioactive pill that killed the cells in the overactive thyroid. Due to the use of radiation, Ed had to isolate for two weeks by himself due to the potential effects that it could have on people he’d come into contact with.

He said: “The isolation was obviously really unpleasant, but I just had to get by, and I then managed to get home for Christmas at the end of it. It was a lot of time in my room but it wasn’t as bad as it could have been and thankfully, I did manage to get my exams done.”

Since having the therapy, Ed’s symptoms have stabilised with his thyroid now ‘underactive’. He is taking medication to balance it towards ‘a normal thyroid’ and he is expected to take medication for the rest of his life to keep it that way.

Despite the condition, Ed is well-known by his lecturers for maximising his time at university, to put him in the best possible position to achieve his dream as a sportswriter.

During his time on the course, he was the Sports Editor for the University’s Salford-based news publication Salford Now and regularly covered Salford City FC and Salford Red Devils matches. His matchday reports of Salford City FC put him in touch with the national news agency, the Press Association, which has led to his work being read by a national audience.

He also secured a byline in the newspaper edition of the Daily Mail whilst on placement for his feature on Premier League referees that had previously been suspended by the governing body.

For his final project, Ed wrote a series of features exploring the connection between German football and politics, prompted by a recent rise in support for the country’s far-right party, Alternative für Deutschland. To deepen his understanding, he travelled across Germany, interviewing fans, journalists, and club officials.

Reflecting on his three years at Salford, the graduate is very positive about his experience in the North West.

He said: “I ended up coming to Salford through clearing, so I hadn’t even seen the campus or attended an open day before I started – but its honestly been the best thing ever.

“The lecturers just feel like real people. You can connect them with on a human level about all matters, not just about your studies, but your life outside of university and I’ve really got on with everyone on the course.

“Particularly during the news days, where you’re in a room with eight hours with a lot of people. But everyone is just raring to go and willing to do the best they can. It’s been such a positive environment.”

Ed also cited the experience of having a local news website tailor-made for students to put their articles on as essential to his development and perhaps as a key reason for how he’s been able to land other opportunities.

He added: “Because I’ve been regularly going to matches to write for Salford Now, people in the press box have seen some of the writing that I’ve been doing so that directly led to getting offers to doing freelancing for the Press Association.

“Salford Now has given me the ability to write consistently and improve. When I read my previous writing from the first few years, it was very clear to me just how I’ve improved and its really helpful to have that insight about my own development.”