A well-known YouTuber woke up in hospital to learn his girlfriend had died after they ate a meal together.

Social media star Billy LeBlanc is known as the father of the LeBlanc family featured on the popular YouTube channel ‘Bratayley’.

The channel was created to document his children’s lives, gaining a substantial following in the process.

Taking to Instagram last night, the 44-year-old, from the US, said he and his girlfriend Natalie Clark recently contracted a virus called Vibrio Vulnificus after eating raw oysters.

LeBlanc said he ‘almost died’ too. (Instagram/@justbillyleblanc)

Vibrio Vulnificus is a rare bacterial infection from uncooked or undercooked fish that can prove to be fatal.

“I’m sure none of you know but I recently almost died. I was in the hospital for 12 days,” the YouTuber wrote.

“Unfortunately Natalie didn’t make it and she passed away. I will always remember how we got lost everywhere together.

“I will always love her and miss her. Be safe and hold your loved ones tight you, never know when it’ll be the last time you see them.”

“We both got vibrio vulnificus from raw oysters,” he added in the comments.

Natalie Clark contracted fatal virus called Vibrio Vulnificus after eating raw oysters. (Instagram/@justbillyleblanc)

Natalie leaves behind her son Julian Clark, 17, who is an aspiring actor with his own YouTube channel.

“Thank you son for the best date ever! You are the best thing that ever happened to me,” Natalie wrote last Mother’s Day.

“We had the best talks to-and-fro and in between. I cannot wait to witness his future.”

Billy’s mother, Yvette Berthelot LeBlanc, has since paid tribute to her son’s girlfriend, writing on Facebook: “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 his heart.”

Natalie leaves behind her son Julian Clark, 17, who is an aspiring actor with his own YouTube channel. (Instagram/@justbillyleblanc)

According to the CDC, who ‘works 24/7 to protect America from health, safety and security threats’, roughly 65 percent of 80,000 vibrio cases every year are contracted from eating contaminated food.

Commenting on LeBlanc’s Instagram post, one fan wrote: “As someone who was a long time fan back in the day I have to say this is extremely heartbreaking.

“I don’t know why bad things happen to good people we will never know I hope that you take time to find peace during this hard time.”

“Nobody deserves to lose both a son and a partner. Sending you my deepest condolences Billy,” a second added.

This comes after LeBlanc’s son Caleb passed away in 2015 at the age of 13 from sudden cardiac arrest due to undetected hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

The risks associated with eating raw oysters has been outlined after the tragic story of a content creator’s girlfriend passing away due to consuming them.

There are a few health factors that people will want to bear in mind next time they come across the seafood delicacy, with numerous horror stories of people falling ill after eating the fan-favourite aphrodisiac.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US have been advising warnings against eating raw oysters, with consumers at risk of contracting illnesses such as norovirus, salmonella and Vibrio parahaemolyticus, among others.

If you aren’t careful, you could catch a food-borne illness from the seafood. (Getty Stock Photo)

Sadly, YouTuber Billy LeBlanc, known for featuring on channel ‘Bratayley’, lost his girlfriend Natalie, after the couple both contracted Vibrio Vulnificus from eating raw oysters.

Both were admitted to hospital, though only Billy was lucky enough to make it out.

“I’m sure none of you know but I recently almost died. I was in the hospital for 12 days,” the YouTuber wrote.

“Unfortunately Natalie didn’t make it and she passed away. I will always remember how we got lost everywhere together.

“I will always love her and miss her. Be safe and hold your loved ones tight you, never know when it’ll be the last time you see them,” he shared on social media.

So, how can we avoid situations like this, and what can we do to be more careful? Well, first of all…

What is an oyster?

Oysters are known as saltwater bivalve mollusks, known for extracting algae and tiny organisms from the water surrounding them for nutrition, and are known as filter feeders.

This means that, depending on what they are feeding on, there is a likelihood that they could be contaminated, which could lead to gastrointestinal symptoms in particular, similar to food poisoning.

The filter feeders could be feeding on contaminated organisms. (Getty Stock Photo)

What could you contract?

There are a number of things you could expose yourself to when eating raw oysters, with one of them being marine vibrio bacteria – the most common bacteria found in seawater.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it is often found in oysters, getting it in your system will bring on symptoms such as nausea, stomach cramping, vomiting, fever and chills, lasting up to three days after first contact.

Norovirus is another risk, a contagious virus that can bring on the same symptoms as well as muscle aches, as certified food protection manager Michelle Rauch explained: “Oysters can carry norovirus if they are harvested from polluted waters or by individuals who are infected with the virus.”

The bivalve mollusks are also a common source of hepatitis A, if there wasn’t enough to worry about.

Away from food-borne illnesses, dietician Danielle Venhuizen revealed that there is an increasing amount of filter feeders that are getting contaminated with microplastics.

“While we are still not entirely sure how this affects human health, it’s definitely something to be aware of,” she explained.

The last thing anyone wants is food poisoning. (Getty Stock Photo)

How likely are you to get sick?

The CDC say that 80,000 Americans a year fall ill from vibrio bacteria, with approximately 100 deaths annually.

52,000 of the cases are linked to eating food that have vibrio bacteria, working out at 65% of all cases coming from food-borne sources.

Vibrio vulnificus is the most dangerous form of the infection, which can cause fever, chills, skin redness, blisters, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and overall weakness.

One of five people end up dying after contracting the bacteria.

Is it safe to eat?

The answer here is, it depends on who you ask.

Rauch says that the risk is worth it for healthy adults without any pre-existing medical conditions, as symptoms of vibrio are mild for them.

But Taylor Janulewicz, a dietitian, told Yahoo Life: “As a cancer dietitian, I strongly advise against raw oysters for anyone with a weakened immune system.”

Those aged over 65, pregnant individuals and young children are advised to avoid eating raw oysters, despite the high nutritional value of the mollusks.

They are rich in calcium, iron, selenium, potassium, folate and choline and have high amounts of zinc, an immunity booster.

Several experts advise that you cook your oysters to avoid any risks. (Getty Stock Photo)

How to safely eat oysters

The CDC details that most cases of vibriosis occur in warmer months, from May to October, but due to global warming, the problems may stretch all year around.

Experts say to purchase raw oysters from well-known suppliers and restaurants that properly adhere to food and hygiene protocols – if you are looking to take them home, it is important to store them in the refrigerator straight away.

However, it is also advised for people to cook their oysters to avoid any health risks at all, given they aren’t undercooked.

Washing your hands before and after handling oysters (obviously) help to reduce the chance of infection too.

A fitness content creator embarked on a challenge to take part in a ‘fast food’ marathon over 50 hours, and he shared his shocking results.

YouTuber Will Tennyson is known for his videos around ‘fitness, food and lifestyle’, as described in his channel description.

But this doesn’t stop him from taking on some of the most extreme health-related challenges out there, on both ends of the spectrum.

While he has chosen to eat fast food for two days straight, he has also eaten and trained like some of the fittest people in the world for content.

He took a huge challenge (Youtube/Will Tennyson)

His viral video has accumulated over 5.3 million views in the couple of years that it has been up on the site for, as he documented exactly what happened when taking on the lifestyle that many people choose to live.

The 30-year-old ate a selection of snacks, takeaways and sugary drinks, all of which are known as ultra-processed foods (UPF), which is a term to describe food that is made with colouring, sweeteners, emulsifiers, preservatives or other additives.

Some examples include cakes, biscuits, crisps, fizzy drinks – the list goes on.

Surprisingly though, some yogurts, mass produced bread and cereal, pasta sauce, and a few other everyday items fall into this category as well.

Worryingly, UPFs now make up half to four fifths of the average British diet according to research, and serious health issues have been linked to the sedentary lifestyle too.

He hit an intake of 8,000 calories each day (Youtube/Will Tennyson)

The Canadian ate a range of items, such as a range of UPFs from a supermarket, adding it to coffee with cream and sugar, with a box of doughnuts.

As a commitment to the cause, he bought a games console and while eating snacks all day, he admitted that he felt ‘gross’.

Tennyson said that while playing video games, it’s easy to ‘get so distracted and all of a sudden you [have eaten] 3,000 calories.’

Joking that he might go ‘airborne’ due to how gassy he was after eating a Papa John’s pizza, he went on and rounded the day off with some McDonald’s.

The following day, he woke up and made a shocking admission: “Somehow I’m more malnourished than before despite like tripling my calories.”

Tennyson added that he also had a breakout of spots on his face in just 24 hours, joking: “I can practically make my own fries with the oil on my forehead,” before revealing: “My muscles feel numb and I feel kinda sad.”

The content creator admitted that he felt ‘like s***’ by the end (Youtube/Will Tennyson)

Tennyson also only recorded around 4,000 steps for the day, a lot less than normal, as health experts recommend people get at least 10,000 steps a day to improve their wellbeing.

Unmotivated and lethargic on the second day, he finished the 50-hour challenge by eating the rest of his pizza and having some sushi.

On the morning of day three, he said that he ‘felt like s***’, explaining: “Just got back from the gym and it was horrific. I was sweating more than ever I don’t even know if it was sweat or if it was oil,

“The point was to show people that unhealthy habits don’t just affect how you look, but they affect your overall well-being your mood your happiness your motivation your drive,” he said.

A woman was convinced she had murdered her husband after waking up to a ‘crime scene’.

Sharon Martin was screaming in fear she could vividly see blood all over her bedroom in July 2021 and a gun which she believed to be the weapon.

“I saw his body, the gun, the blood – it was like something out of a film,” the 54-year-old said. “I was just screaming ‘Chris, have I shot you?’”

But then, her – understandably pretty confused – husband woke up.

Of course, there wasn’t any kind of ‘crime scene’ in their room and Chris reassured her everything was fine while she sat on the edge of the bed, thinking she could see herself from above being ‘controlled by a puppet’.

The woman, from South Wales, was rushed to Southmead Hospital, Bristol, where it was found she had fluid and a cyst on the brain.

Seven years beforehand, Sharon underwent clinical trials to test the effects on her Parkinson’s condition.

Sharon Martin really believed she’d killer her husband. (SWNS)

“We had to have a delivery system implanted in our brain,” she explained.

A titanium port delivery system was put into her brain behind her left ear connected to a catheter, where she received monthly injections of growth protein GDNF.

“It really helped – it was like a cure. No tremors, my walking was batter, my balance – it was the most amazing thing,” Sharon said.

Ultimately the trail failed as the results were inconclusive and the system was left in her brain.

She added: “They said it would all be fine afterwards.”

However, infection took hold as it leaked into the brain and the hospital ended up removing the whole system.

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“All the system was removed but no one has ever said that the fluid and cyst has gone – I’ve got no idea,” Sharon said.

“It wasn’t the best time of my life – it was like they didn’t believe me when I described what happened.”

The woman claims she wasn’t given ‘any apology’ and was ‘told it was part of the trial’. And now she says she’s been left with a ‘terrible’ memory.

“Sometimes now I still don’t know where I am – I just blank out at random moments,” she explained.

“They put it all down to the progression of Parkinson’s, but I know it’s different. I think the true Sharon is long gone.”

She says she has flashbacks ‘every day’. (Getty Stock Image)

While she recognises it was her ‘choice’ to do the trial, she added: “I did think there was going to be some sort of aftercare. The services are not there for Parkinson’s.”

Plus, now whenever she looks at Chris she feels ‘guilty’ as she is having ‘trauma counselling’ after having ‘flashbacks every day’ to when she believed she killed him.

Tim Whittlestone, Chief Medical Officer at North Bristol NHS Trust, said: “We are very sorry to hear about this individual’s concerns and would encourage her to reach out to us directly so we can appropriately look into the issues she has raised. Whilst we cannot go into the specifics of individual cases, as a research centre we are very grateful for all patients who participate in a clinical trial.

“Without these participants, we would be unable to deliver groundbreaking research. This is nowhere more true than in Parkinson’s Disease where our clinical and research teams are working tirelessly to seek novel and enduring treatments. Unfortunately, some participants will experience a negative consequence from a trial treatment.

“People in research studies are very well supported and monitored, often more so than patients being treated outside of a clinical trial.

It was an infection that followed a clinical trial. (SWNS)

“Understanding these negative effects is just as important for us as celebrating the positive benefits and so we encourage anyone who is part of a trial, and has concerns, to reach out to their clinical team, research team or to our Patient Advice and Liaison Service.”

Claire Bale, Associate Director of Research at Parkinson’s UK, said: “Sharon took part in a pioneering trial which showed real promise, but she unfortunately had a bad experience after it ended.

“We sympathise with her and the handful of other participants who had similar outcomes, and we have worked closely with the clinical team to support them throughout. The hospital is responsible for the care of clinical trial participants but, as a major funder of this research and leading UK charity for Parkinson’s, we see it as our responsibility to support participants like Sharon.

“Working with the GDNF participants and the clinical team, we have learnt lessons which inform all ongoing trials.

“We thank Sharon and all who take part in vital trials as we would be unable to find better treatments and ultimately a cure for Parkinson’s without them.”