Oh, no. YouTube star Billy LeBlanc lost his girlfriend Natalie Clark and almost lost his own life, too, after eating raw oysters.
On Sunday, the content creator took to his Instagram account to share a carousel of photos of the couple as they traveled around while holding up a brown street sign that read “Lost St.” He opened up about his personal health battle in the caption, writing:
“I’m sure none of you know but I recently almost died. I was in the hospital for 12 days. 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.”
OMG. Truly and unimaginably heartbreaking. See his full tribute HERE.
Billy’s mom Yvette Berthelot LeBlanc shared on Facebook on July 6 that tragedy had hit her family, too. She wrote:
“Just want to take a moment to thank everyone for all the prayers for My family for the [past] 2 weeks Been a very hard time. Billy and Natalie ate raw oysters and contracted a deadly virus”
Specifically, they contracted the rare bacterial infection vibrio vulnificus from raw oysters, per reports. According to the Cleveland Clinic, it’s a potentially fatal disease that can cause fever, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and more symptoms. Per the CDC, more serious cases can cause ICU care and amputation while, sadly, 20% of people die.
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Reflecting on the devastating loss, Yvette continued:
“Natalie lost her life and Billy was very close to death. In 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. Again I couldn’t do life without all the prayers and support from my family and friends”
Wow. This must have been such a devastating and scary time for the whole family!
As mentioned, Natalie was mom to 17-year-old Julian, while Billy shares kids Annie and Hayley (and late son Caleb, who died in 2015) with ex-wife Katie LeBlanc. They gained fame via the family YouTube account Bratayleys before the co-parents divorced in 2019 and Billy started his own channel. It was there that he introduced Natalie as his girlfriend in 2020.
We cannot imagine what a difficult time this must be for the family. Sending love to Natalie’s family and friends! May she rest in peace.
[Image via Billy LeBlanc/Instagram]
