One Dare, One Slug, A Lifetime Shattered
In 2010, 19-year-old Sam Ballard, a vibrant Australian rugby player full of life and laughter, accepted a reckless dare from friends at a Sydney party. Just for fun, he swallowed a live garden slug crawling across the patio.

Days later, agony struck: searing leg pain, relentless nausea, dizziness. Doctors delivered the devastating truth — the slug carried rat lungworm (Angiostrongylus cantonensis), triggering eosinophilic meningoencephalitis, a brutal brain infection.

Sam slipped into a coma that lasted 420 days. When he finally awoke, the young man who once ran across fields was quadriplegic, trapped in a body that no longer obeyed, able only to communicate with his eyes and faint words. His family poured endless love and care, yet the damage was irreversible.
Eight long years of silent battles, unbreakable family devotion, and quiet courage followed. In 2018, at just 28, Sam passed away, surrounded by those he loved most.

One moment of youthful bravado stole his future. One tiny slug changed everything forever.
Think twice before you dare. Life is fragile. Health is priceless.