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EN
A teen ate a slug on a dare and spent 420 days in a coma with permanent brain damage, then told his mom he loved her eight years later
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Attack of the Fanboy
A teen ate a slug on a dare and spent 420 days in a coma with permanent brain damage, then told his mom he loved her eight years laterWhat started as a harmless joke at a garden party turned into a heartbreaking tragedy for Australian teenager Sam Ballard.
In 2010, the 19-year-old rugby player accepted a dare from friends and swallowed a live slug during a casual night of drinking and laughter.
The simple prank led to a rare parasitic infection that left Ballard paralyzed and fighting for his health for years.
He told his mother, Katie, that he believed the slug might be the cause.
The infection developed into eosinophilic meningoencephalitis, a serious brain infection that caused Ballard to fall into a coma for 420 days.