England international Missy Bo Kearns says she spent ‘four days of hell in hospital’ after suffering a miscarriage and contracting sepsis last month.
The 25-year-old Aston Villa midfielder and partner Liam Walsh, who plays for Luton, announced their pregnancy on 1 March, but she lost the baby weeks later.
Kearns told ITV News how Villa’s club doctor had ‘probably saved my life’ after they recommended she go to hospital after complaining of ‘flu-ish symptoms’.
‘It was one of the biggest shocks of my life. I thought it was just like a pregnancy symptom, and the doctor came in and checked my temperature,’ she said.
‘I was 42 degrees, but I was shaking. And the doctor said to me, “Where’s Liam?” And I was like, “I’m not going back to the hospital. I literally went a few days ago. Everything’s fine. They told me everything’s fine.” And she said, “Ring Liam.” And I was like, “He’s had a night game. He’s still in bed.”
‘But I rang him, and he came. We went to the hospital, and that’s when we found out straight away that we had lost the baby and that I’d got sepsis.
Kearns told ITV News how Villa’s club doctor had ‘probably saved my life’ after they told her to go to hospital after complaining of ‘flu-ish symptoms’ – which turned out to be sepsis
The three-cap England international was targeting a place with the Lionesses at next year’s World Cup in Brazil – and still has this set firmly in her sights
‘So, it was difficult, like it was a shock, because I’d literally been doing Pilates and gym an hour before, and my whole life just changed like that.’
Sepsis can be life-threatening but is very hard to spot, with symptoms similar to those of flu or a chest infection. It occurs when the immune system overreacts to an infection and starts to damage the body’s tissues and organs.
Kearns says she was grateful to the club doctor, Jodie Blackadder-Weinstein, for making her go to hospital.
‘We had to go through three or four days of hell in hospital, the two of us, up in Birmingham. I don’t think we realised how much we went through until now, when you sit back.
‘I’m so thankful for the doctors here at Villa, because if I was at home that day, I probably would have rung my mum saying, “Oh, I feel a bit like flu-ish symptoms”, and everyone would just say, “Have a sleep” or whatnot.
‘And Jodie made me go to the hospital, and I was not wanting to go, because there’s nothing worse than obviously going to hospital.
‘But they probably saved my life because I had sepsis, and while having that, I wasn’t even thinking about the sepsis. It was “I’ve lost my child”.’
Kearns described how she was still mentally coming to terms with the trauma.
‘I think people might not realise how much of a toll it actually has on someone,’ Kearns said. ‘I think obviously everyone knows how hard it must be to lose a child, but because of the highs of finding out you’re pregnant, and the stress of being pregnant, and the worries of getting past the 12-week mark, it’s so stressful, even though it’s so exciting.
‘I think to then have that crash, and then suddenly you’re not pregnant, and your hormones change, your symptoms start to go overnight. I think it’s a different type of grief. It’s not something I’ve ever experienced before.
‘I’ve been trying to keep myself busy. I wouldn’t say I’m fully coping. Yeah, there are days like today where I feel good. I’ve been in and around the (Aston Villa) girls and stuff.
‘I’ve done my bike, I’ve done my testing, ready to get back onto it. But yesterday, I was upset all day because I got some news about things we have to sort, and it just comes and goes in waves.
‘And I think keeping myself busy, I think going to watch Liam’s games, has helped. But also, I’ve been trying to go through it a bit more isolated, and have time to myself and to ourselves, like not being around people.
‘That’s helped me a lot. I get a bit anxious being around people in case they ask me how I am and stuff, because I don’t want to talk about it all the time. But sometimes I’m in a mood where I want to talk about it. I want to let my emotions out and what’s on my chest and stuff. So, it just depends.’
Kearns started her career with Liverpool before joining Villa in 2024. She has made 11 appearances in the Women’s Super League this season, last playing on 11 January.
The three-cap England international was targeting a place with the Lionesses at next year’s World Cup in Brazil – and still has this set firmly in her sights.
‘Football is my happy place, and I’m here now, and I’m excited to be here and keep trying to build and build and get myself right, ready for next season,’ Kearns added.
‘It’s a big year next year, and my plan while I was pregnant was to make the World Cup squad, and that’s not changed, so the next few months are about getting myself physically and mentally strong, ready for a big season, and to try and make the World Cup squad.
‘I’ve realised, like there’s more to life than football, but now I’m going to enjoy every minute of football like it’s my last because it could have been.’
