Kansas mother hospitalized after spider bites faces liver failure, family starts fundraiser

Britagne Miller was camping with her family at Cheney Lake in Kansas in May when several spiders crawled over her skin and bit her multiple times. Four days later a bruise on her calf swelled and she was taken to a hospital, where doctors performed emergency surgery to remove about 300 milliliters of blood clots from her leg. Miller, who has pre-existing blood-clotting disorders and liver disease, later developed an infection at the wound site, and physicians diagnosed her with end-stage liver failure. > "They gave me three days to up to a month to live," she told local news outlet KCRA. After several weeks in intensive care, Miller was discharged on July 11 to continue recovery at home while awaiting eligibility for a liver transplant. Doctors have not identified the spider species, though the wound’s characteristics are consistent with a brown recluse bite. Miller’s husband lost his job while caring for her, and the family launched a GoFundMe campaign to offset medical and household expenses. The fundraiser has collected $25,635 of its $28,000 goal from 442 donors.