A gifted rugby player who became a paraplegic after swallowing a garden slug as a dare has died after an eight-year battle with a parasite infection.

Sam Ballard, 28, spent three years in hospital after eating the garden slug at a party in 2010 when he was just 19.

The 'cheeky larrikin' passed away on Friday surrounded by family and a loyal group of friends after years of medical complications following the incident.

Mr Ballard's last words to his mother Katie were: 'I love you'.

Before the dare Mr Ballard had been a promising young rugby player at his high school, Barker College, on Sydney's upper north shore.

Earlier this year his mates Jimmy Galvin and Michael Sheasby told The Project of the fateful night that changed their lives.

'We were sitting over here having a bit of a red wine appreciation night, trying to act as grown up and a slug came crawling across here,' Mr Galvin said.

'The conversation came up, should I eat it? Off Sam went. Bang. That's how it happened.'

In the following days Mr Ballard fell ill and was told by doctors he had been infected with 'rat lungworm'.

The worm is commonly found in rats but snails or slugs can be infected when they eat rodent droppings.

Tragically Mr Ballard contracted eosinophilic meningo-encephalitis and lapsed into a coma for 420 days, suffering a severe infection to his brain.