Kansas mother battles life-threatening complications after spider bites at reservoir

Britagne Miller, a Kansas mother of four with a history of blood-clotting disorders, was bitten by an unknown number of spiders while camping near Cheney Reservoir on May 28. Initially appearing fine, she developed a painful, enlarging bruise on her calf four days later, leading her to seek emergency care. Physicians extracted about two ounces of clotted blood, placed a drain, and prepared her for surgery, but she later contracted a severe staph infection and a gram-negative bacterial infection.

Doctors also indicated she was in end-stage liver failure, giving her only days to a month to live, yet she refused hospice and remained in intensive care for over a month. After multiple surgeries, she was discharged on July 11 and placed on a liver-transplant waiting list. Her husband, unable to maintain regular work hours, lost his job, and the family has launched a GoFundMe campaign to cover hospital bills and living costs. Kansas State University horticultural entomologist Raymond Cloyd noted that only black widows and brown recluses are venomous in the state.