YouTuber Billy LeBlanc is mourning the loss of his girlfriend, Natalie, after the two were hospitalized for a rare bacterial infection.
In a July 15 Instagram post, the 44-year-old said that Natalie had lost her life after the couple contracted vibrio vulnificus from eating raw oysters.
According to the CDC, the infection stems from a species of bacteria in coastal waters that can cause a potentially serious illness called vibriosis.
“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,” he wrote.
“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.”
Mr. LeBlanc was part of a popular YouTube family famous for videos that documented daily life in their fun-loving home. The account, “Bratayley,” featured his ex-wife Katie and his children and garnered over 7 million subscribers.
Shortly after, Mr. LeBlanc started his own channel called “Just Billy LeBlanc” and shared daily videos of life with his children. He rose to internet fame and developed a large following with over 200,000 subscribers of his own.
In 2020, he introduced his partner Natalie, along with her son, and went on to frequent appearances on both the channel and social media.
In a separate social media post, Mr. LeBlanc’s mother, Yvette, detailed how difficult the past two weeks have been for their family, taking a moment to thank everyone for the support and prayers.
“Billy and Natalie ate raw oysters and contracted a deadly virus 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 … I couldn’t do life without all the prayers and support from my family and friends,” read the post.
The flesh-eating bacteria live in warmer temperatures and infection can occur from exposure either through an open wound or by swallowing the contaminated water, or specifically, through eating raw or undercooked seafood, especially oysters.
Vibrosis can quickly lead to sepsis, shock, and large, spreading blisters that destroy tissues. About one in five people die, “sometimes within a day or two of becoming ill,” while others may require intensive care or even limb amputation.
The CDC estimates of the 80,000 cases reported each year in the U.S., nearly half stem from contaminated food.
This is not the first tragedy the family has faced. Back in 2015, Mr. LeBlanc’s son, Caleb, passed away suddenly at age 13 from natural causes, according to his mother’s post on Instagram.
At that time, his mother Katie took to Instagram to announce the news, telling followers that as a result, the family would take a hiatus from filming on YouTube.
“This has come as a shock to all of us. Words cannot describe how much we will miss him. His incredibly funny, loving and wonderful spirit made us all fall in love with him as a YouTuber, friend, brother and son,” she wrote.
“We know you tune in to watch each day and eagerly anticipate new videos, but ask that you bear with us while we deal with this tragedy as a family.”