Teenager disabled for life after eating slug as a dare at birthday party

A talented rugby player has become disabled after swallowing a garden slug as a dare at a 19th birthday party.

Sam Ballard, now 28, fell seriously ill within days of swallowing the slug whole at his friend’s house party in Sydney, Australia. Doctors told him he had been infected with rat lungworm, which caused an infection on his brain. The lungworm Sam swallowed is found in rodents, but snails or slugs can become infected when they eat the faeces of rats.

Sam fell into a coma for 420 days after contracting eosinophilic meningoencephalitis, a strand of meningitis. Sam spent three years in hospital and will now use a wheelchair for life. He also continues to suffer seizures.

Sadly, Sam's government-funded disability benefits has been slashed, leaving his mother distraught. In 2016, Katie Ballard applied to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) when Sam became eligible for a £300,000 package. But last September without warning, the NDIS texted Ms Ballard to say a review of his plan had slashed his allocation to around £75,000. The massive funding cut was without explanation and around-the-clock care means the Ballard family are heavily in debt and currently owe a nursing service £25,000. The NDIS said it had been "working closely with the Ballard family" to find a resolution and increase Sam’s support package.

Before the accident, Katie described her son as "invincible". But she says Sam’s illness has hit the family hard, saying: "It’s devastated, changed his life forever, changed my life forever. The impact is huge."