He was only 19 when a harmless dare among friends turned into a nightmare.
He was only 19 when a harmless dare among friends turned into a nightmare.
In 2010, Australian student Sam Ballard swallowed a live garden slug during a party in Sydney, laughing, never imagining what would come next. Within days, he began to feel weak and dizzy. Doctors soon discovered that the slug carried rat lungworm, a rare parasite that can infect the human brain.
Sam fell into a coma that lasted 420 days. When he finally woke up, he was paralyzed, unable to speak or eat without assistance. For the next eight years, his mother, Katie, and close friends cared for him around the clock, as his once-active life faded into hospital rooms and medical machines.
In November 2018, Sam Ballard passed away at the age of 28 due to complications from the infection. His story shook Australia, not because of recklessness, but because of how one small, impulsive act spiraled into unimaginable tragedy
