Campfire spider bites leave Kansas mother fighting for life as existing liver disease complicates treatment

A Kansas mother is fighting for her life after an unknown number of spider bites during a family campfire outing triggered a series of life-threatening medical complications, leaving doctors warning she may have only days to a month to live before her condition unexpectedly began to improve.

Britagne Miller, of Goddard, Kansas, was bitten by multiple spiders on May 28 while spending time with her family at Cheney Lake, about 35 miles west of Wichita, according to KAKE. She was admitted to Wesley Hospital in Wichita on June 4, according to a GoFundMe page created by her husband, Jake Miller. “On May 28th, what looked like a simple spider bite turned into something none of us could have imagined,” he wrote.

Doctors determined that Miller required emergency surgery to remove large blood clots from her leg and drain the affected area. “This one kept swelling and swelling, and it was like, you know, a fire stir that’s metal,” she told KAKE. “It was like shooting down my leg into my foot, and it felt like it was being stabbed.”


Her condition became even more complicated because of underlying health issues. According to KCRA, Miller had experienced two blood clotting disorders while pregnant with one of her four children, which later contributed to a compromised liver and allergies.

“Complicating everything, Britagne is also battling end-stage liver failure,” her husband shared in his GoFundMe page, which gathered more than nearly $30,000. “This made surgery and routine care far more dangerous — doctors warned she could bleed out.”

Surgeons removed nearly 300 milliliters of blood clots from her leg and inserted a drain to aid healing. However, five days after the procedure, Miller developed a staph infection along with a gram-negative bloodstream infection, further worsening her condition.

“Multiple doctors told us she might have only days to a month to live and recommended hospice after just two weeks in the hospital,” Jake Miller explained.

After spending 10 days in the intensive care unit, Miller was transferred to the cardiac ICU before eventually moving to a regular hospital floor. She was discharged on July 11 and continues her recovery at home.

Although she still requires a liver transplant, she is not yet eligible to be placed on the transplant waiting list.

“Before she can be considered for transplant surgery, doctors must get her blood clotting and labs stable enough to tolerate the operation,” Jake Miller said in the GoFundMe. “That stabilization process could take several months, and until then every day is focused on helping her body heal and become strong enough for the next step.”