Mother of four fights for life after spider bites at campfire

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World

Author: NZ Herald,
Publish Date: Tue, 4 Aug 2026, 3:03pm

A family camping trip turned into a medical nightmare for a Kansas mother of four after she was bitten multiple times by a group of spiders.

Britagne Miller was relaxing near a campfire on May 28 when about 15 spiders climbed on to her legs and began biting her, she told KAKE, a Kansas news outlet.

Initially, she did not think it was serious, but her health deteriorated over the next few days as she developed “excruciating” pain and swelling in her calf.

After four days, a painful bruise developed near one of the bites and she was admitted to hospital.

“This one kept swelling and swelling, and it was like, you know, a fire stir that’s metal,” Miller told KAKE. “It was like shooting down my leg into my foot, and it felt like it was being stabbed.”

When she arrived in hospital, she was told they needed to operate. Miller told the outlet the problem may have been caused by a brown recluse, a venomous spider native to Kansas.

Britagne Miller's family has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover medical expenses as she continues her recovery and awaits a liver transplant. Photo / Jake Miller

“I’m terrified of surgery, that I’m going to go to sleep and not wake up, or that I’m going to bleed out,” Miller said. “They came at 9 o’clock in the morning, and they’re like, we need you to sign this paper. We’re going into surgery.”

Complicating the situation was the fact she also has end-stage liver failure and needs a liver transplant.

“This made surgery and routine care far more dangerous – doctors warned she could bleed out,” her husband, Jake Miller, wrote in a GoFundMe for her care, which has raised more than US$23,000 ($39,000) so far.

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

Britagne Miller, a mother of four, was relaxing near a campfire when 15 spiders climbed on to her legs and began biting her. Photo / Jake Miller

During the operation, surgeons removed nearly 300ml of blood clots and inserted a drain to aid healing, People reported.

But five days after the procedure, Miller developed a staph infection and a gram-negative bloodstream infection, adding another complication to her recovery.

She said she wanted to give up but fought on for her family.

“I was like, ‘I give up. I’m done being cut open. I’m done being poked and prodded. I’m done hurting’. Then I thought about all of them,” Miller told KAKE.

Although she has mostly recovered, she is now waiting for a lifesaving liver transplant but is not yet eligible because of the ordeal.

“Before she can be considered for transplant surgery, doctors must get her blood clotting and labs stable enough to tolerate the operation,” her husband wrote.

“That stabilisation 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.”