Sam (19) became paralyzed after eating garden snail at party

- The 19-year-old Australian rugby player Sam swallowed a garden snail in 2010 after losing a bet. Innocent, that's how it seemed back then. But the teenager became completely paralyzed. The boy has to be cared for 24/7, but the government is no longer cooperating.

Sam from Turramurra became infected with the worm angiostrongylus cantonensis after eating the snail, which can infect snails after eating feces from rats. People can also become infected, but it rarely causes a brain infection.

But the strong sportsman struggled in a coma and awoke 420 days later. Three years after eating the snail he was allowed to leave the hospital in a motorized wheelchair. The boy needs care day and night; he often has seizures and is fed via a probe, among other things.

Full-time care is not cheap. The Ballard family received a 492,000 Australian dollar allowance in 2016, but Sam's mother was shocked last September when this amount had been reduced to 135,000 Australian dollars for no reason.

The family has now built up a considerable debt, so there is still an account of 42,000 dollars for nursing. According to the Daily Telegraph, the government is now talking to the family to come to a solution.

The friends with whom Sam made the bet are still his friends. They take him to the beach and to school to see the rugby teams in action. 'Team Ballard' is now collecting money to be able to pay at least part of the bills.