YouTuber Brandon Buckingham has shared a detailed account of his harrowing health crisis that nearly claimed his life in November 2025. The 30-year-old content creator woke up on November 18th unable to hear, barely able to breathe, with swollen feet and in agonizing pain. His wife called emergency services, and upon arrival at the hospital, doctors discovered his lungs were filling with fluid while his liver, kidney, and heart were simultaneously failing.
The health crisis had been building for months. Buckingham traces the beginning of his decline to June 2025 while filming a documentary about car thieves in Detroit, where his vehicle was fired upon with him in the front seat.
This incident triggered severe anxiety and insomnia that persisted throughout the year. His condition worsened at the Shambala Electric Dance Music Festival, where he experienced what he described as a mental breakdown and had to abandon filming.
By August, Buckingham began experiencing intermittent vomiting and insomnia lasting days at a time, unable to keep food down. Despite his deteriorating health, he continued working, filming at the Gathering of the Juggalos and traveling to Dublin, Ireland.
In a Patreon post from Ireland, he wrote: “I am not well in any regard and look forward to returning home to recover.” He expressed concern about following the path of his brother Kyle, who passed away from a heart attack at 34 in 2019.
The vomiting became constant by late September. Buckingham’s weight dropped from 195 pounds (88 kilograms) to 165 pounds (75 kilograms), then eventually to 150 pounds (68 kilograms) at his 6’3″ frame. Multiple visits to urgent care and one emergency room visit provided no lasting relief. By November 18th, after 79 days of continuous vomiting, his body gave out.
Thanks to his dog Pumpkin missing a veterinary appointment, his wife called for a wellness check when Buckingham didn’t answer his phone. Police found him delirious in bed.
At the hospital, his blood pressure measured a life-threatening 76 over 48. Blood tests revealed sepsis with acute renal failure, pneumonia in both lungs, acute liver failure, acute pancreatitis, and dangerously high potassium levels. His liver enzyme test showed levels of 2,089 units per liter, over 58 times higher than the normal maximum of 48.
Most concerning was the discovery of acute systolic heart failure, with his heart’s ejection fraction at only 15 to 20 percent. Doctors told him repeatedly that leaving the hospital would result in his passing. “If you wouldn’t have came in, it would have got so low where you probably would have lost the blood pressure,” one doctor explained.
The diagnosis revealed sepsis pneumonia, a bacterial infection that spread to his blood, coupled with coxsackie virus type B that caused his heart failure.
Without health insurance, Buckingham faced medical bills totaling approximately $450,000, with the largest single bill at $362,000. He created a GoFundMe with a $75,000 goal, which was met within hours, with over 10,000 people contributing and support from creators including MrBeast.
After days in intensive care, his condition stabilized enough for release, though his heart’s ejection fraction had only improved to 35 to 40 percent, still in the heart failure range. Upon returning home, he was so weak he couldn’t lift a pillow or walk to the bathroom without exhaustion. Night sweats and memory loss plagued his early recovery.
Today, Buckingham reports that his liver, kidney, and pancreas have fully recovered. He has gained 15 pounds (7 kilograms) since leaving the hospital and can now perform daily tasks. However, his lungs sustained permanent damage, and he remains in heart failure, requiring three medications for life: spironolactone, losartan, and metoprolol. Symptoms including dizziness, exhaustion, and blurred vision continue to affect his work.
Buckingham will focus on editing previously filmed content while staying home to recover, with videos from collaborations over the past four years ready for release. Reflecting on his near-death experience, he said: “I don’t look at this whole situation and feel sorry for myself. I view it as one of the best things that could have happened to me.”
The experience has deepened his faith and given him renewed gratitude for life, particularly as he thinks of his brother who never received a second chance.
