Kearns Opens Up About Harrowing Hospital Ordeal Following Miscarriage and Sepsis Diagnosis

England midfielder reveals trauma of losing baby and life-threatening infection

Aston Villa's Missy Bo Kearns has described her experience in hospital as "four days of hell" after experiencing a miscarriage and being diagnosed with sepsis earlier this year.

The international footballer and her partner Liam Walsh, a Luton player, announced they were expecting a child on 1 March. However, Kearns lost the pregnancy later that same month.

Shock Discovery at Training Ground

In an interview with ITV News, Kearns recalled feeling unwell during a training session at Aston Villa's Bodymoor Heath facility on 18 March. She approached the club's sports physician, Jodie Blackadder-Weinstein, for medical assessment.

"It was one of the biggest shocks of my life," Kearns explained. "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."

Upon arriving at the hospital, the midfield player received devastating news simultaneously—she had lost her baby and contracted sepsis, a life-threatening condition triggered by an abnormal immune response to infection.

Gratitude for Medical Intervention

Kearns expressed profound gratitude toward Dr. Blackadder-Weinstein, crediting the physician's insistence on immediate hospital admission with potentially saving her life.

"I was not wanting to go, because there's nothing worse than obviously going to a hospital, but they probably saved my life because I had sepsis," Kearns said. "While having that, I wasn't even thinking about the sepsis. It was: I've lost my child."

She noted that had she remained at home that day, she likely would have dismissed her symptoms as flu-like illness, making early intervention impossible.

Mental Recovery Remains Ongoing

While Kearns has begun visiting Villa's training ground and working on her physical conditioning, she acknowledged that emotional recovery remains a work in progress. She emphasized that grief does not follow a linear path.

"I wouldn't say I'm fully coping," she stated. "There's days like today where I feel good... But yesterday, I was upset all day because I got some news about the things we have to sort and it just comes and goes in waves."

The 24-year-old footballer urged others not to "suffer in silence" and highlighted Tommy's—the United Kingdom's largest pregnancy and baby loss charity—as a vital support resource.

Return to Competition Timeline

Kearns does not anticipate returning to competitive play until next season. The three-cap England international began her professional career at Liverpool before transferring to Aston Villa in 2024, making 11 Women's Super League appearances this term.

Despite her current challenges, Kearns maintains ambitions of representing the Lionesses at next year's World Cup in Brazil. She is dedicating the coming months to rebuilding her physical and mental strength in preparation for the tournament.

"Football is my happy place, and I'm excited to be here and keep trying to build and get myself right ready for next season," Kearns remarked. "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."

She reflected on her brush with life-threatening illness with newfound perspective: "I've realised 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."