What started as a relaxing family evening by the lake turned into a life-threatening ordeal for Kansas mother of four Britagne Miller.
Britagne was enjoying a campfire with her husband, Jake, and their four children at Cheney Lake on May 28 when several spiders suddenly crawled onto her and bit her multiple times. At first, she brushed it off, never imagining the bites would trigger a devastating medical emergency.
Just four days later, one bite on her calf became severely swollen, bruised, and incredibly painful.
“It kept swelling and swelling,” Britagne told KAKE. “The pain shot down my leg into my foot, and it felt like I was being stabbed.”
The pain became unbearable, prompting her to seek medical care. Doctors discovered dangerous blood clots in her leg and determined she needed emergency surgery.
However, Britagne already faced significant health challenges, including a blood-clotting disorder, liver disease, and allergies to certain medications, making surgery especially risky. According to her husband, doctors warned that her liver condition greatly increased the risk of life-threatening bleeding.
During her treatment, doctors diagnosed Britagne with end-stage liver failure. Her family was told she might have only days or weeks to live and was encouraged to consider hospice care.
But Britagne refused to give up.
“She told the doctors she would fight for as long as she could for our family and asked them to do everything possible to save her,” Jake wrote on the family’s GoFundMe page.
Her battle only became more difficult. She developed severe infections, including sepsis, and underwent multiple additional procedures to remove damaged tissue while receiving intensive antibiotic treatment.
At one point, the emotional and physical toll became overwhelming.
“I said, ‘I give up. I’m done being cut open. I’m done being poked. I’m done hurting,'” Britagne told KCRA. “Then I thought about my kids.”
Thinking of her four children gave her the strength to keep fighting.
After spending more than a month in the hospital and undergoing several surgeries, Britagne was finally discharged on July 11.
Even so, her recovery is far from over. She continues to require home health care, physical therapy, and regular appointments with specialists. Doctors say she will eventually need a liver transplant, but first she must regain enough strength for the procedure.
Doctors have not confirmed what type of spider bit Britagne, though experts say brown recluse and black widow spiders are the two venomous species commonly found in Kansas.
Meanwhile, the family’s challenges continue. Jake stayed by Britagne’s side throughout her hospitalization while caring for their four children, ultimately losing his job because he could no longer maintain a regular work schedule.
Now, facing mounting medical bills and the loss of income, the family has turned to the public for support.
“My wife, Britagne, is the strongest person I know,” Jake wrote. “She’s an incredible wife, an amazing mother to our four beautiful children, and the heart of our family. She has always put others before herself.”
Despite the difficult road ahead, Britagne’s loved ones remain hopeful that she will eventually receive the liver transplant she needs and return to the role she treasures most—being a mom.