YouTuber Brian Barczyk Has Been Open With His Followers as He Battles Cancer

Over his years as a YouTuber, Brian Barczyk has built up a loyal following as the leader of the Reptile Army and the owner of The Reptarium. In 2023, though, some of Brian's updates have had little to do with reptiles, and much more to do with his health struggles.

In March 2023, Brian announced that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Since then, he has been providing his followers with regular updates on his treatment and setbacks. Brian has been remarkably transparent with his followers about everything he's dealing with and has received tons of support.

Since his diagnosis, Brian has spent much of his time chronicling his treatment, and he hasn't been afraid to share both good and bad news across his various channels. There have been some signs of hope, including a reduction in the size of his tumor. However, in recent months, most of the news has been bad. Brian has been in and out of the hospital with various complications related to his surgery and he woke up to a pool of blood in his bed.

Brian's fans have responded by selling a specific line of merch designed to show their support, and by offering him words of encouragement underneath all of his posts.

Brian's last post was on Christmas Eve, when he wished his followers a happy holiday, even though he got emotional thinking about whether this holiday season could be his last.

"Merry Christmas Eve everyone. I’m so grateful to be home with the family," he wrote. "My grandsons are coming in a few and are here for a couple days. Remember to be thankful for what you have and embrace the things that matter. You never know when it’s taken all away. Love you guys!"

Brian's transparency has allowed his fans to follow his treatment beat by beat, but his prognosis hasn't been as hopeful in recent months amid complications and setbacks.

Brian's latest health updates involved clots that had been discovered in his leg.

"So I have a clot that goes all the way up my leg. They are checking to see if it’s in my lungs yet. Either way, they seem to think it’s treatable with blood thinners. Just need to be in the hospital for a bit. Hope I don’t miss Christmas," he wrote at the time.

Brian ultimately had to go in for surgery to treat the clots, and the blood thinners he was on were ultimately what led him to wake up in a pool of his own blood. Brian hasn't posted since Christmas Eve, so his exact condition at the moment is unknown.

It seems likely that Brian will continue to post regular updates as he's able to into the new year. What's also clear, though, is that Brian is facing pretty serious health problems, so it wouldn't be all that surprising for him to stop posting at some point to focus on his treatment.