A YouTuber who woke up from a coma to the devastating news that his girlfriend died of food poisoning vowed to grant her last wish.
Billy LeBlanc, 44, and his girlfriend, Natalie Clark, 41, became infected with Vibrio Vulnificus after eating raw oysters in July.
The father-of-three said he almost died from the bacterial infection, and when he woke up from a coma he was told Natalie did not survive.
“We ate oysters and we both felt sick for a couple of days and then I woke up and she was gone,” he said.
Billy LeBlanc, 44, and his girlfriend, Natalie Clark, 41, became infected with Vibrio Vulnificus after eating raw oysters in July, and Natalie did not survive.
While recovering from the near-fatal poisoning and Natalie’s death, Billy posted a video revealing that his dying wish was for him to have his own podcast.
“One of the things Natalie always wanted me to do… was do a podcast,” he told his YouTube subscribers.
He explained that Natalie had been convincing him to do it for months before she died and that they planned to do it together.
Billy read several questions I was going to ask him in the first podcast, including “what made you attracted to me?”
“Of course she would put this at the top of her questions, and she knows the answer, she just wanted me to say it,” he said.
“We were very similar, we thought the same things were fun, we both liked things like news and sports and I just… I thought she was smart and funny.”
Billy answered other questions, including that his favorite number was four, as it was NFL legend Brett Farvre’s number, and that the role he most enjoyed playing in his YouTube career was that of Santa Claus during a Christmas special. .
He said he would continue doing podcasts, but felt it would be better with two people so they could compete with each other, so he would look for a co-host.
The heartbroken content creator said he had a vague memory of what happened while he spent 12 days in hospital, eight of them in the intensive care unit.
Billy previously posted several videos and photos on Instagram and YouTube in memory of Natalie.
‘I will always remember how we got lost together everywhere. “I will always love and miss her,” he said in a post along with photos of them traveling.
“Take care of yourselves and hug your loved ones tight, you never know when it will be the last time you will see them.”
The heartbroken content creator said he had a vague memory of what happened as he spent 12 days in the hospital, eight of them in the intensive care unit.
‘I don’t know what to say. “I’m trying to understand my life now and what’s next for me, so thank you for all your love and support to everyone who gave that to me,” he added.
Billy became popular after sharing videos of his family on the Bratayleys account, where he was accompanied by his ex-wife Katie LeBlanc and their three children Annie, Hayley and Caleb.
Natalie has a son, Julian Clark, 17, an aspiring actor with his own YouTube channel.
The late mother posted photos of her and Julian enjoying Mother’s Day together on May 13.
‘Thank you son for the best date of my life! “You are the best thing that has happened to me,” he wrote.
Vibrio Vulnificus enters the body when raw or undercooked fish is consumed
In 2020, he introduced Natalie as his girlfriend in a video on his justbillyleblanc channel. She continued to make regular appearances in his clips.
‘We had the best conversations back and forth and in between. “I can’t wait to witness his future.”
Billy’s mother, Yvette Berthelot LeBlanc, paid tribute to her son’s girlfriend in a recent Facebook post.
‘Natalie lost her life and Billy was very close to death in the ICU for 8 days. “Please continue to pray for Natalie’s son Julian, for her family, and for Billy, both for his health and for his heart,” he wrote.
He Centers for Disease Control and Prevention An estimated 65 percent of the 80,000 cases of vibrio reported each year were contracted from eating contaminated food.
About one in five people died from the infection, “sometimes within a day or two of getting sick,” he said.
This is not the first time Billy has faced an unexpected tragedy as his son Caleb, whom he shares with his ex-wife, died in 2015 at age 13 from sudden cardiac arrest.
Natalie has her own son, Julian Clark, 17, an aspiring actor with his own YouTube channel.
Katie’s family has a history of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and despite taking her three children for regular checkups, Caleb was found unconscious and later pronounced dead at the hospital.
Both Katie and Billy frequently post about their late son on social media, while the YouTuber shared a heartfelt birthday message for him.
‘It seems like just yesterday you would have been at this IHOP with us. I miss you my little baby. Happy birthday,” Billy wrote.
Following the death of their son, the family took a break from their channel. When they returned, they continued posting videos until 2019, the same year Billy and Katie ended their marriage.
Billy then launched his own YouTube channel, justbillyleblanc, where he shares his daily life with his children with his 208,000 subscribers.
He introduced Natalie as his girlfriend in 2020 and she continued to appear regularly in his videos.