One warm night in Sydney in 2010, a group of friends shared wine and tried to feel grown up. Then a garden slug slid across the patio. Someone joked. Someone dared. And 19-year-old Sam Ballard swallowed the slug in a split second.

At first, nobody worried. A slug seemed harmless. However, this one carried rat lungworm, a parasite that can infect humans. Soon, Sam’s legs weakened. Pain followed. Doctors later linked his illness to a rare form of meningitis called eosinophilic meningoencephalitis.

Next came the unimaginable turn. Sam fell into a coma that lasted more than a year. When he finally woke, the damage had changed everything. He lived with severe paralysis. He needed help to eat. He relied on round-the-clock care, led by his devoted mother. He also faced a life that looked nothing like the one he had planned.

Years later, a YouTube educator created a simulation to show how the parasite can travel through the body and reach the brain. The goal stays simple. It warns young people that one reckless dare can carry lifelong consequences.

Sam died in November 2018 at 29. At his funeral, his family chose compassion over blame. His brother told Sam’s friends to let go of guilt. Then he thanked them for loving Sam well.