Brian Barczyk’s last goodbye

[BlueKrono]

Some of you may be aware that renowned reptile keeper and presenter Brian Barczyk has been battling pancreatic cancer, and he recently announced that he is in the end stage and is entering hospice care. It's likely he has only a few days left to live.

For those not familiar with Brian, he is probably the most famous reptile enthusiast ever after Steve Irwin. His vlog is followed by over 5 million people. I got the chance to meet him when I was the vice president of the Minnesota Herpetological Society and he flew in to be our guest speaker. I had actually planned a snake-watching trip to West Africa with him at one point but it didn't end up working out. He will be missed by all who knew him.

You can find his final farewell video at the end of this article. It's hard to keep the tears from falling as he ponders the legacy he's left in this life and what comes next.

https://www.wxyz.com/news/owner-of-the-reptarium-says-goodbye-in-emotional-video-as-he-prepares-to-enter-hospice-care

[Gwangi]

I've been watching Barczyk since I got into reptile keeping about a decade ago and I've been following his battle with cancer since he was diagnosed. I saw his final video shortly after it was posted and yes, tears were shed. It's truly tragic. He's only 54 years old. That said, he's lived more in those 54 years than most people could hope to live in a lifetime twice as long. He says in the video that no one is truly dead until their name stops being spoken. If that's true, he's immortal.

[BlueKrono]

Sad news today: Brian has passed away. I can't even count how many people in the reptile & amphibian enthusiast community name him as their biggest influence.

[Gwangi]

Sad news today: Brian has passed away. I can't even count how many people in the reptile & amphibian enthusiast community name him as their biggest influence.

Obviously, we knew it was coming, but it still stings. He came so close to seeing his aquarium open.