Kansas mother hospitalized after spider bites faces liver transplant wait

Britagne Miller was bitten by several spiders while sitting around a campfire at Cheney Lake in May. Within days, the bite sites developed a painful swelling that turned into a large hematoma on her calf. Hospitalized at Wesley Hospital in Wichita in early June, Miller required surgery to remove the clot, a procedure made riskier by pre-existing liver failure and blood-clotting disorders. After the operation, she contracted two infections, including a staph infection, and doctors warned that she could bleed out.

Her husband, Jake Miller, posted a GoFundMe page to raise $60,000 for her treatment and family expenses. The campaign notes that doctors have told the family she may have only days to a month to live and initially recommended hospice care, but Miller declined. She was discharged home in early July and remains in need of a liver transplant, though she is not yet eligible for the waiting list. Doctors require her blood-clotting parameters and laboratory values to stabilize before she can be considered for surgery, a process that could take several months.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises people to inspect and shake out clothing, shoes, towels and equipment before use, wear protective clothing such as long-sleeved shirts, long pants and gloves when handling undisturbed piles, and learn to identify potentially dangerous spiders.