A fun family vacation to Cheney State Park turned into a nightmare for a Kansas family, changing their lives forever.
On May 28, 2026, Jake and Britagne Miller took their four children, aged 9-15, on a camping trip, where the mother was attacked and bitten by a swarm of spiders.
Britagne had to undergo surgery to remove the blood clots formed by the bites, but her pre-existing medical conditions worsened the situation to a life-threatening crisis.
Highlights
- A mother-of-four was bitten by venomous spiders during a camping trip to a Kansas state park.
- During post-surgery recovery, her condition worsened due to pre-existing medical conditions, nearly costing her life.
- The father was fired for missing work while supporting his wife and caring for their children.
“They gave me three days up to a month to live, so that was scary,” Britagne told the media.
A mother-of-four underwent surgery after multiple spider bites caused swelling that felt like “being stabbed”
Image credits: Britagne Kendell Miller
The Millers, from Goddard, Kansas, were enjoying quality family time around a campfire at the Cheney State Park, 35 miles west of Wichita, when the incident occurred.
Out of nowhere, multiple spiders crawled up her leg and then her body, leaving several bites all over her, Britagne told a local ABC-affiliated outlet, KAKE.
Four days later, one bite on her calf swelled into a painful bruise, which forced her to seek professional intervention. On June 4, she was admitted to Wesley Hospital in Wichita, Kansas.
“This one kept swelling and swelling, and it was like, you know, a fire stir that's metal,” she said. “It was like shooting down my leg into my foot, and it felt like it was being stabbed.”
Image credits: Britagne Kendell Miller
The hospital told Britagne that she had developed a hematoma on her calf and would need surgery — a procedure that she was not the biggest fan of.
“They came at 9 o'clock in the morning, and they're like, we need you to sign this paper. We're going into surgery,” she said.
“I'm terrified of surgery, that I'm going to go to sleep and not wake up, or that I'm going to bleed out.”
The surgery for the immediate cause was successful at the time, but things soon became more complicated.
Britagne contracted infections and suffered from potential organ failure days after surgery
Image credits: Britagne Kendell Miller
During the surgery, the doctors removed almost 300 ml of blood clots from Britagne’s hematoma and administered a drain to heal the wound.
Unfortunately, Britagne was already suffering from two blood-clotting disorders discovered during one of her pregnancies, as well as liver damage and multiple allergies to food and medication.
Her medical history contributed to the crisis, leaving her often incoherent during the post-surgery period.
Image credits: Britagne Kendell Miller
The doctors suspected Britagne was battling end-stage liver failure at this point, making routine care and recovery all the more dangerous. They recommended hospice after just two weeks.
A GoFundMe set up by her husband, Jake, says that the doctors gave her days to a month to live as she spent 10 days in the MICU and then more time in the cardio ICU before being moved to a regular floor.
“The medical team has provided everything they can: blood transfusions, plasma, platelets, cryoprecipitate, antibiotics, potassium, and other life-saving treatments to try to stabilize her dangerously low lab values,” the GoFundMe reads.
Image credits: Britagne Kendell Miller
Despite their best efforts, five days into recovery, Britagne’s wound and stitches became infected with a staph and gram-negative S-type infection, causing tissue necrosis.
The doctors had to urgently perform two bedside procedures and put her on additional antibiotic medications.
Britagne's husband, Jake, lost his job while taking care of her and the kids
Image credits: Britagne Kendell Miller
The GoFundMe states that Britagne Miller would be able to come home from the hospital as soon as she recovers from the infections, but will require consistent home health care, physiotherapy, and weekly visits to specialists.
However, she is not yet eligible for a liver transplant, as her blood-clotting conditions and other pathological markers would need to be stable enough to tolerate the operation. The process would likely take months.
“I have watched her endure more pain than I ever thought a person could survive, and somehow, she still finds the strength to fight,” he said. “If there’s anyone who can make it through this, it’s Britagne.”
Image credits: Britagne Kendell Miller
Britagne, however, had almost given up, “done being cut open, done being poked and prodded,” she said to KAKE, but she changed her mind thinking about her family.
Jack revealed that he lost his job during this ordeal, as he spent all his time by his wife’s side and taking care of their children, and could not meet his ex-employer’s work schedule expectations.
“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,” Jack pleaded.
He also thanked Britagne’s mother, Sheila, who flew in from Utah to help the family and watch the kids.
The family has requested funds for ongoing medical expenses, weekly doctor’s visits, transportation costs, utilities, household bills, groceries, and child support, to help them keep going through these tough times.
Britagne Miller was likely bitten by a venomous spider that hates feeling “trapped”
Image credits: Elizabeth/Unsplash (not the actual photo)
While there was no definitive way to confirm which species of arachnid bit Britagne Miller, experts suspected it was a brown recluse.
Dr. Raymold Cloyd, a horticultural entomologist at Kansas State, told KAKE that the brown recluse was the only venomous spider in Kansas aside from the black widow.
The spider favors dark, hidden places, such as under logs, in rock piles, or beneath porches. Indoors, they favor attics, garages, old cardboard boxes, or unused closets.
While camping unavoidably exposes one to these spiders in their natural habitats, Dr. Cloyd offered ways to avoid being bitten indoors.
Image credits: Britagne Kendell Miller
“If you have boxes that have been sitting there cold, you want to wear gloves,” he said. “Shake shoes or even wash them before you end up wearing them because those are areas where brown recluse and black widow are more likely to reside.”
According to WebMD, the brown recluse spider, as the name suggests, prefers to be left alone and may bite if it “feels trapped,” especially when pressed between skin and clothes or bedding.
WebMD claims that a brown recluse’s bite would be mostly harmless to adults, but might have grave repercussions in children, older adults, and people with pre-existing medical conditions, as Britagne Miller did.
If bitten, WebMD suggests thoroughly washing the bite area with soap and water, applying a cold compress, and visiting the emergency room urgently.
"New fear unlocked." Netizens reacted to Britagne Miller nearly passing away after getting bitten by spiders at camping
