An alarming simulation has shown the impact that swallowing a live slug had on a teenage boy.
The dare between friends in 2010 turned into a devastating tragedy for 19-year-old Sam Ballard, who was urged by his friends to eat a live slug.
The incident, which initially seemed like harmless fun, had life-altering consequences for the young man and ultimately led to his tragic death.
Sam, a promising rugby player from Sydney, was enjoying a casual evening with friends, drinking wine in his garden when the fatal challenge occurred.
One of his closest friends, Jimmy Galvin, recalled the fateful moment during an interview with The Project.
"We were sitting over here having a bit of a red wine appreciation night, trying to act as grown up and a slug came crawling across here," Galvin explained.
"The conversation came up, you know. ‘Should I eat it?’ And off Sam went. Bang. That’s how it happened."
Initially, it appeared to be a foolish, if harmless, prank. But soon after, Sam realized that things were about to go wrong.
In the days following the dare, he began experiencing severe pain in his legs.
He voiced his concerns to his mother, Katie, even suggesting that the pain might be linked to the slug he had eaten.
His mother, however, dismissed the idea, telling him: "No one gets sick from that."
Despite her reassurance, Sam’s condition worsened. Initially fearing that he might have inherited multiple sclerosis from his father, a doctor’s visit ruled that out.
Instead, medical tests revealed that Sam had contracted the parasite Angiostrongylus cantonensis, commonly known as rat lungworm.
This parasite, typically found in rodents, can infect slugs and snails that come into contact with rat feces.
The infection led to Sam developing eosinophilic meningoencephalitis, a form of meningitis.
While many people recover from this illness, Sam's case took a tragic turn. He fell into a 420-day coma, during which time he suffered significant brain damage.
Now, thanks to a simulation created by Zack D. Films, we can see just how the dare changed Sam's life.
The simulation details how the parasite spread through his system, explaining that while the human body can often fight off such infections, in this case, the parasite’s larvae made their way to Ballard’s brain, triggering the extended coma and resulting in catastrophic brain damage.
The video aims to raise awareness, particularly among teenagers, about the dangers of risky dares involving wildlife, especially those known to carry parasites.
When Sam eventually woke from the coma, his life had drastically changed.
The once-active athlete was now paralyzed, unable to move, eat, or use the bathroom without assistance.
Despite his severe disabilities, Sam’s mother maintained that he remained cognitively aware.
"He understood everything," she said, noting that his friends could still recognize the Sam they had known.
In 2018, Sam tragically passed away at the age of 28, surrounded by his family and loyal friends. His final words to his mother were: "I love you."
