Mom-of-four bitten by swarm of spiders on family camping trip is now fighting for her life

A family’s camping adventure in Kansas turned into a prolonged ordeal when a mother of four was bitten by spiders, leading to severe complications and a prognosis of just three days to live.

Britagne Miller, hailing from Goddard, Kansas, was enjoying a campfire with her husband Jake and their four kids at Cheney State Park on May 28 when several spiders crawled up her leg and body, leaving multiple bites on her skin.

At the time, she didn’t think much of it.

However, four days later, one of the bites on her calf began to swell significantly, accompanied by a burning, stabbing pain that radiated down her leg and into her foot. She was admitted to Wesley Hospital in Wichita on June 4.

Surgery and a battle for survival

Upon examination, doctors found that Miller had developed a hematoma and required immediate surgery. Nearly 300ml of blood clots were extracted from her calf, and a drain was inserted to aid in the healing process.

What should have been a simple recovery quickly escalated into a critical situation.

Miller had two pre-existing blood-clotting disorders identified during a previous pregnancy, along with liver damage and multiple allergies to food and medication. Her body struggled to cope, and she became increasingly incoherent in the days that followed.

Doctors then suspected she was on the verge of end-stage liver failure, and after two weeks, they suggested hospice care.

“They gave me three days to a month to live, which was terrifying,” Miller shared with local news outlet KAKE.

She spent ten days in the MICU and additional time in the cardiac ICU before being transferred to a regular ward. Throughout her ordeal, she received blood transfusions, plasma, platelets, antibiotics, and various other treatments to stabilize her condition.

A second crisis

Five days into her recovery, her surgical wound became infected with staph and gram-negative bacteria, leading to tissue necrosis. Doctors had to perform two emergency bedside procedures and put her on more antibiotics.

Miller has expressed that there were moments when she felt like giving up, but the thought of her children motivated her to keep fighting.

As Miller fought for her life, her husband remained by her side, taking care of their children. Unfortunately, his employer eventually let him go due to not meeting work schedule expectations.

“There was never any doubt about where I needed to be, but losing my income and insurance has put us in a difficult financial situation,” he shared.

Miller’s mother traveled from Utah to assist with the children. The family is currently raising funds on GoFundMe to cover ongoing medical expenses, weekly specialist appointments, transportation, utilities, and household bills.

Miller is anticipated to return home eventually, but she will need ongoing home health care and physiotherapy.

Currently, she is not eligible for a liver transplant, as her blood-clotting conditions must stabilize enough to withstand the surgery – a process that could take several months.

The type of spider that bit Miller

While the exact species of the spider has not been confirmed, experts believe it was a brown recluse, as it is one of the two venomous spiders found in Kansas, alongside the black widow.

The brown recluse prefers dark, hidden areas like under logs, in rock piles, and inside unused shoes and boxes. It usually bites when it feels trapped between skin and clothing.

Dr. Raymold Cloyd, a horticultural entomologist at Kansas State University, recommends that anyone camping or handling long-stored boxes should wear gloves and check shoes before putting them on.

Although a brown recluse bite is generally manageable for healthy adults, it can lead to serious complications for individuals with pre-existing health conditions, as seen in Miller’s situation.