If life were a boat, Billy LeBlanc’s has certainly hit more than a few icebergs. Imagine waking up one morning to find the love of your life gone, just like that. It sounds like something straight out of a tragedy novel, but for this YouTube star, it’s all too real. And what triggered this calamity? Believe it or not, something many of us have probably eaten without a second thought—raw oysters.
Billy LeBlanc, at 41, found himself in the ICU battling for his life after a meal of seafood took a sinister turn. Both he and his girlfriend, Natalie Clark, contracted a virus known as Vibrio vulnificus from those seemingly innocent oysters.
Imagine being in a hospital for twelve days, eight of which were spent in the harsh grips of the ICU. That’s what Billy and Natalie endured, fighting every moment to stay alive. But when Billy woke up, his world crumbled; Natalie had already passed away. He shared this harrowing experience on Instagram, painting a bleak picture of their ordeal.
“We ate oysters and were both sick for a few days. The next morning I woke up and she was gone,” Billy wrote, encapsulating his grief in a few heart-wrenching words.
In another post, he reminisced about their adventures together, capturing the essence of their bond. “I’ll never forget how we got lost together everywhere. I’ll love and miss her forever. Be safe and hold your loved ones tight, you never know when it’ll be the last time you see them,” he advised his followers.
Even Billy’s mother took to Facebook, pouring out her sorrow and asking for prayers. “Natalie died, and Billy was very close to dying for eight days in the ICU. Please keep praying for Billy’s health and his heart, as well as for Natalie’s son Julian and her family,” she penned in a heartfelt post.
According to the CDC, around 80,000 cases of Vibrio vulnificus are contracted yearly from eating raw seafood. It’s a sneaky and vicious virus that can claim lives within one to two days of infection. Imagine the agony of knowing that something as simple as a meal could be so lethal.
Natalie Clark leaves behind a 17-year-old son named Julian. Earlier in May, she shared a precious moment with him on Mother’s Day, calling him the best thing that ever happened to her. That post now stands as a poignant reminder of her love and devotion.
Before this tragedy, Billy had already known heartache. Nine years ago, he lost his 13-year-old son, Caleb, another gut-wrenching episode in his life. Caleb was one of Billy’s three children with his ex-wife, Katie. In 2015, the young boy suddenly passed away from a heart attack. Despite regular health check-ups due to a family history of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, Caleb’s heart condition led to his untimely death.
For those who have been following Billy LeBlanc’s journey, his YouTube channel began as a family affair. The first videos featured his then-wife Katie and their three children—Annie, Hayley, and Caleb. But the loss of Caleb shook the family to its core, prompting a temporary hiatus from content creation.
The family made a brief return to YouTube in 2019 but soon faced another turbulence—Billy and Katie’s divorce. Ever the resilient soul, Billy started his own YouTube channel and continued to share his life’s ups and downs. In 2020, Natalie Clark became a part of his online chronicles, offering a new chapter in his story.
