A Kansas mother of four is in intensive care battling life-threatening complications after being bitten by spiders on May 28 while camping with her family at Cheney Reservoir. Britagne Miller, who has pre-existing blood-clotting disorders, initially experienced a growing, painful bruise on her calf following the incident.
Four days after the campfire encounter, Miller sought medical attention as the bite site became increasingly painful and swollen. Her medical team discovered she had sustained multiple bites from an unknown number of spiders. Complicating her condition, Miller has a history of two blood-clotting disorders diagnosed during pregnancy, food and medication allergies, and a compromised liver.
Doctors performed surgery to remove approximately two ounces of blood clots and installed a drain. However, within five days, the wound became infected with a severe staph infection and a gram-negative S-type infection. Physicians also determined Miller was in end-stage liver failure, giving her an estimated one month to live.
Miller remained in the hospital for over a month, undergoing multiple surgeries and fighting infections before her discharge on July 11. She is now on the waiting list for a liver transplant. During her hospitalization, she initially considered declining hospice care but was motivated to continue fighting by the thought of her family.
While the specific type of spider remains unknown, Kansas State University horticultural entomologist Dr. Raymond Cloyd identified the black widow and brown recluse as the only venomous spiders common in the region. Miller's husband has taken leave from his job to care for their children, and a GoFundMe campaign has been established to help with medical and daily expenses.