What to Know
A Kansas mom, Britagne Miller, was bitten by multiple spiders while on a family camping trip with her husband and their four kids. Days later, swelling began to spread on her leg and after a trip to the hospital, she was told she needed surgery to drain the area where the spiders bit her.
According to KAKE News in Kansas, the mom of four is also battling a life-threatening liver failure, and the spider bites and medical complications made things worse for her on top of her previous diagnosis.
But her spider bites and liver failure aren’t the only health struggles Miller has faced over the years. When she was pregnant with one of her children, she developed a blood clotting disorder. This could be why doctors explained to her that blood was clotting where the spiders bit her on the leg.
The mom’s spider bites resulted in continuous swelling.
Miller told KAKE News that spiders crawled over her body and actually left bites in various parts of her body, not just her legs. However, she experienced extreme pain and swelling in one of her legs, which caused alarm for Miller and her family.
“This one kept swelling and swelling, and it was like, you know, a fire stir that’s metal,” Miller told the outlet. “It was like shooting down my leg into my foot, and it felt like it was being stabbed.”
As far as which type of spiders bit her, Miller isn’t too sure. It might have been a brown recluse spider, which, according to Kansas State University, is commonly found in the state of Kansas. While it is a venomous spider, though, being bit doesn’t automatically mean the individual will suffer from a serious reaction. It varies on a case by case basis. For Miller, the reaction was severe.
She is also battling liver failure.
Miller explained to KAKE News that doctors removed almost 300 milliliters of blood clots while operating on her leg. Days later, Miller suffered a staph infection and was told that, because of liver failure, doctors suspected she may only have weeks to live. That was in July 2026.
“The plan is to get a liver transplant once they can get my hemoglobin levels up,” she said.
Per the University of California San Francisco Department of Surgery, end-stage liver disease can progress over months or even decades. Because not everyone on a transplant list receives a liver in time, per the university, almost 17% of candidates on the waiting list die each year. There is a long evaluation process for liver transplants, but, according to Miller herself, there is a plan in place for her to receive a transplant when she is physically able to.
After Miller was released from the hospital, she shared some updates on Facebook about her health. On July 22, she wrote that her leg was in “terrible nonstop pain.” She also wrote that she is working with a physical therapist and occupational therapist to help regain feeling in her right hand and right foot.
Her husband started a GoFundMe for medical expenses.
Miller’s husband started a GoFundMe to help with medical expenses, but also with mortgage and utility bills. He wrote in the fundraiser that he lost his job due to needing to be away to be with his wife as she received medical care.
“Throughout this ordeal, I have stayed by Britagne’s side while trying to care for our children,” he wrote. “Because I couldn’t maintain the work schedule my employer required during this medical emergency, I lost my job. There was never a question about where I needed to be, but losing my income and insurance has put us in a tough spot financially.”
Following Miller’s spider bite complications and end-stage liver disease diagnosis, her husband started a GoFundMe. As of August 2026, the family raised more than $25,000 of the $28,000 goal.
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