A reptile enthusiast known for his wildlife videos posted a farewell video on YouTube as he prepares to enter hospice care to battle pancreatic cancer.
Brian Balchik, 54, shared 16 minute montage He ended with a video of his beloved animals titled “This is Goodbye.”
“It's been an amazing journey. It's been an incredible journey that has changed my life,” the YouTuber said, seemingly struggling to breathe.
Balchik visited his reptile zoo in Michigan and thanked his 5.25 million followers for supporting his work.
The YouTuber, who was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer about a year ago, said his team will continue to post videos on his behalf even after his death.
“This past year has been tough, with ups and downs due to cancer treatment,” he said. “We really thought we could overcome this.”
He revealed last week that he was in hospice care, but told fans not to worry about death because he is “carrying Jesus” and plans to “spend eternity in heaven.”
“I'll be able to look down on my legacy and my family and all the people I love. I'm a lucky man,” he told fans.
“I'm ready, everyone. It's been a tough year,” she said through tears. “It hurt so much, the pain was incredible, the illness was incredible, the treatment was incredible, everything was so bad.”
A few days before filming the video, Balchik had been hospitalized after suffering multiple strokes and vision loss, which he “knew was the cause of this,” he said.
“I'll tell you, I'm a tough guy and I don't know how people get through this,” he said. “I just wanted to come to you and say goodbye and tell you that I love you so much for everything you've done for me.”
He also thanked his wife for supporting him during his “end of life” and said the Legacy Aquarium is also her legacy. Although Barcyzk didn't make it in time, his latest venture, his LegaSea aquarium, is scheduled to open by March.
“I'm not going to watch the opening,” he said. “Unfortunately, you won't be seeing me again.”
In this montage, one of his earlier videos shows Mr. Balchik saying, “I will never die until the last person says my name,” and Mr. Balchik says that his He hopes that the legacy will be passed on through the aquarium.
Fans expressed their sadness in the comments section, with one fan revealing that she “sobbed” after watching the video.
“Thank you, Brian, for all you do for herpetology! We love you, dude. You are an inspiration to us all,” they wrote.
Another said: “I've been watching Brian's videos for years and I'm sitting here at 1:20am crying as if he's my personal friend.” Rest in peace, Brian! Rest!”
