Current:Home > Finance'This is goodbye': YouTuber Brian Barczyk enters hospice for pancreatic cancer-LoTradeCoin
'This is goodbye': YouTuber Brian Barczyk enters hospice for pancreatic cancer
View Date:2024-12-24 00:11:37
Longtime fans of reptile enthusiast Brian Barczyk are heartbroken after the YouTuber posted a goodbye video as he enters hospice care.
The owner of The Reptarium in Utica, Michigan, posted the 16-minute video titled "This is Goodbye," on Friday after a nearly year-long battle with pancreatic cancer. Barczyk, 54, thanked those who visited his reptile zoo, as well as his over five million subscribers for supporting his work with snakes, geckos, lizards and other reptiles.
"It's been an amazing journey and one that has changed my life. Each one of you has changed my life like you can't believe," he said in the tearful video. "You never die until the last person speaks your life. My hope that the LegaSea Aquarium, my legacy throughout everything, is going to last a long time."
Barczyk said his team will continue to post videos on the channel after his death and hopes fans will continue show up for the content.
"We're going to tell great stories and we're going inspire people whether it's me or not. I hope you will continue to watch the vlog," Barczyk said. "I wish I was going to be there manning the front of it but let's keep getting people to love animals and wildlife and have experiences and dedicate their life to animals. If that happens I'm happy."
Brian Barczyk races to see dream Aquarium open
Barczyk has long been working to fulfill his dream of opening the LegaSea Aquarium, which will feature an interactive reptile zoo in a 25,000-square-foot former thrift store. The building is currently under construction with hopes to open by March, according to thee The Reptarium's website.
"I hope I'm there to see it open and I'm there greeting you guys. That's the goal but we're a few months off from that. I think I'll be around to see it so I'm excited," Barczyk said. "I want to keep inspiring you guys to follow your dreams. Even in the face in what someone like me is dealing with you can face your dreams and keep going."
The aquarium will also have shark-watching and stingray-feeding attractions in the aquatic area while the land part of the attraction showcases relocated reptiles and intriguing mammals like a two-toed sloth.
Barczyk told the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, in June that he wants Macomb County and the broader area community to know that he will always offer a place for visitors to get their hands wet and horizons broadened "regardless of whether I live one year or 25 years."
Fans show support for Brian Barczyk in goodbye video
Barczyk's video was flooded by comments from heartbroken fans.
"I'm sobbing (right now). Thank you, Brian for all that you've done for herpetology! I love you, man. You're an inspiration to us all," one user wrote.
Another user said that Barczyk should not apologize, adding that "we love you and we appreciate the thousands of hours of amazing reptile footage you brought to the world. Thank you for being such a big part of my childhood."
The Reptile Army, a community for reptile lovers, honored Barczyk by releasing #BrianStrong merch to spread awareness about pancreatic cancer.
veryGood! (2)
Related
- The Office's Kate Flannery Defends John Krasinski's Sexiest Man Alive Win
- Pete Davidson’s New Purchase Proves He’s Already Thinking About Future Kids
- Despite Layoffs, There Are Still Lots Of Jobs Out There. So Where Are They?
- Rural grocery stores are dying. Here's how some small towns are trying to save them
- Georgia House Democrats shift toward new leaders after limited election gains
- There are even more 2020 election defamation suits beyond the Fox-Dominion case
- Prince William got a 'very large sum' in a Murdoch settlement in 2020
- Roy Wood Jr. wants laughs from White House Correspondents' speech — and reparations
- ‘Heretic’ and Hugh Grant debut with $11 million, but ‘Venom: The Last Dance’ tops box office again
- A group of state AGs calls for a national recall of high-theft Hyundai, Kia vehicles
Ranking
- 1 monkey captured, 42 monkeys still on the loose after escaping research facility in SC
- Coal Mining Emits More Super-Polluting Methane Than Venting and Flaring From Gas and Oil Wells, a New Study Finds
- Airbnb let its workers live and work anywhere. Spoiler: They're loving it
- Inside the Murder Case Against a Utah Mom Who Wrote a Book on Grief After Her Husband's Sudden Death
- Outgoing North Carolina governor grants 2 pardons, 6 commutations
- Little Big Town to Host First-Ever People's Choice Country Awards
- Facebook users can apply for their portion of a $725 million lawsuit settlement
- New Study Says World Must Cut Short-Lived Climate Pollutants as Well as Carbon Dioxide to Meet Paris Agreement Goals
Recommendation
-
NY forest ranger dies fighting fires as air quality warnings are issued in New York and New Jersey
-
Pull Up a Seat for Jennifer Lawrence's Chicken Shop Date With Amelia Dimoldenberg
-
Meet the 'financial hype woman' who wants you to talk about money
-
North Carolina Hurricanes Linked to Increases in Gastrointestinal Illnesses in Marginalized Communities
-
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Red Velvet, Please
-
Billions in USDA Conservation Funding Went to Farmers for Programs that Were Not ‘Climate-Smart,’ a New Study Finds
-
A Legal Pot Problem That’s Now Plaguing the Streets of America: Plastic Litter
-
Forecasters Tap High-Tech Tools as US Warns of Another Unusually Active Hurricane Season