Missy Bo Kearns: Four Days of Hell in Hospital After Miscarriage

Aston Villa’s England international Missy Bo Kearns recently endured a harrowing experience in a Birmingham hospital after suffering a miscarriage and developing sepsis. The midfielder, who had made 11 appearances in the Women’s Super League this season, revealed the emotional and physical toll of the incident while speaking to ITV News.

Kearns and her partner Liam Walsh, a Luton player, shared their news of the pregnancy on 1 March. However, by the end of the month, the couple faced a devastating loss. On 18 March, Kearns felt unwell during training at Villa’s Bodymoor Heath facility and consulted the club’s sports doctor, Jodie Blackadder-Weinstein. “It was one of the biggest shocks of my life,” she said.

“I thought it was just like a pregnancy symptom, and the doctor came in and checked my temperature… I was 42 degrees, but I was shaking.”

The diagnosis came swiftly: the baby was lost, and Kearns had sepsis, a condition she described as life-threatening and hard to detect.

Reflecting on the ordeal, Kearns emphasized how critical the doctor’s intervention was. “We had to go through like three, four days of hell in hospital, the two of us,” she added.

“I don’t think we realized how much we went through until now.”

She credited Blackadder-Weinstein for pushing her to seek immediate care, noting that if she had stayed home, she might have dismissed her symptoms as a simple flu-like illness.

Though physically recovering, Kearns admitted the emotional impact lingers. “I wouldn’t say I’m fully coping,” she said.

“There’s 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, like, ready to get back on to it.”

But she also mentioned days of sadness, such as when she received updates about ongoing challenges.

Kearns acknowledged that grief manifests differently for everyone, yet she stressed the importance of sharing struggles. She highlighted Tommy’s, the UK’s leading pregnancy and baby loss charity, as a vital support system. Despite the setback, her football ambitions remain intact. “Football is my happy place, and I’m here now, and I’m excited to be here,” she said.

“Keep trying to build and build and get myself right ready for next season.”

The 2024 Villa joiner, who made her senior England debut in June against Spain, aims to return to action and pursue a spot in the Lionesses’ World Cup squad in Brazil.

Kearns also expressed gratitude for the support she received during the crisis. “I was not wanting to go, because there’s nothing worse than obviously going to a hospital,” she noted.

“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 – and Liam was probably thinking the same.”

The incident has shifted her perspective on life and football. “I’ve realized there’s more to life than football,” she reflected.

“But now I’m going to enjoy every minute of football like it’s my last because it could have been.”

Meanwhile, the Women’s Football Weekly podcast, featuring Ben Haines, Ellen White, and Jen Beattie, continues its season with new episodes released every Tuesday on BBC Sounds. Additional interviews and content from the Women’s Super League and beyond are available on the podcast’s feed.