Lauren Wasser is a Californian model who lost her right leg in 2012 for the most unusual reason I\u2019ve ever heard.<\/p>\n
Most of us can\u2019t imagine how a hygiene product could lead to a nightmare and change your life forever.<\/p>\n
Now Lauren is determined that no other woman should have to go through the same thing she\u2019s gone through, and is sending out a warning about the dangers of an everyday product.<\/p>\n
Lauren Wasser is a Californian model who went to the hospital in 2012 with flu symptoms. It turned out that she was not suffering with the flu, but menstrual toxic shock syndrome (mTSS) caused by bacterial toxins.<\/p>\n
The cause of the infection? A tampon. The use of tampons, especially if left for many hours, can cause an infection that causes what is known as menstrual toxic shock syndrome (mTSS)<\/p>\n
The mTTS left Lauren in a coma for more than a week, and upon awakening they had to amputate a leg because of the infection. She was 24 years old.<\/p>\n
Nobody else should go through this
\nShe also launched a tough legal battle against Kotex Natural Balance, the brand of tampons that caused her to react so severely.<\/p>\n
\u201dI\u2019d been using the same product of tampons that I always had, following the instructions on the box, as all women do. That particular day, the toxins took over my body and I nearly died. I had a 42 degree-celsius fever, my kidneys and organs began failing and I had two heart attacks. I had a one-per-cent chance of survival,\u201d she told Harper\u2019s Bazaar.<\/p>\n
\u201cConsidering that the vagina is the most absorbent part of a woman\u2019s body and is a gateway to many of our vital organs, it is crucial that consumers know the reality of what could happen to them,\u201d Lauren wrote in InStyle.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, seven years after first being diagnosed with mTTS, Lauren also had to undergo amputation of her other leg.<\/p>\n
\u201dMy world changed in an instant; I couldn\u2019t even get up, let alone model. I lost sight of who I was and what I wanted from life. In my darkest moments, I considered suicide,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Found a greater purpose
\nWhat ultimately stopped Lauren from ending her life was the thought of her little brother. He was always the first to get home from school, and she couldn\u2019t bear the idea of him being the one to find her. That single thought kept her holding on. Over time, she began to shift her mindset, choosing to see her struggle as a challenge instead of a defeat.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t until later that Lauren learned the devastating truth: mTSS had been claiming the lives of women for decades. That revelation lit a fire in her. She became determined to speak up \u2014 not just for herself, but for the many others who had suffered in silence.<\/p>\n
She found a greater purpose in being a voice for those women who lost their lives, their health, or their futures. \u201cI should still have my legs,\u201d Lauren says. \u201cNo woman should have to risk her life just by using a tampon.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over time, Lauren Wasser learned to accept and even embrace her new reality. It didn\u2019t happen overnight\u2014it was a slow, step-by-step process. Inspired by A$AP Rocky\u2019s grills, she had her prosthetic legs cast in gold, seeing them not just as tools but as a form of art. \u201cWhy not wear gold jewelry all the time?\u201d she reasoned. Today, she lives fully and unapologetically\u2014running five miles a day, hiking with her dog, doing Pilates, playing basketball, and even starring in a global lingerie campaign. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing I can\u2019t do,\u201d she says. \u201cPlus, I don\u2019t need any pedicures.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOwn who you are\u201d
\nWasser knows that paving your own path is never easy, but it matters. She hopes others can see themselves in her story: just a regular woman who went through something traumatic and came out stronger.<\/p>\n
Her message is clear \u2014 life will throw punches, but resilience opens the door to endless possibilities. \u201cOwn who you are,\u201d she says, \u201cand walk out that door every day with a smile\u2014even if you don\u2019t feel like it. Take control of your life and you\u2019ll inspire others to do the same.\u201d<\/p>\n
She credits her faith in God for grounding her, but she also acknowledges that it\u2019s okay not to be okay. \u201cSociety puts so much pressure on being happy all the time,\u201d she says. \u201cThis January, care a little less about what people think.\u201d In a world obsessed with social media validation, she encourages everyone to remember that they\u2019re already enough.<\/p>\n
This brave girl has all of my respect. Keep fighting, with strength and optimism. Lauren continues to fight not only for herself, but for others, so that nobody else has to go through what she went through.<\/p>\n
Please share Lauren\u2019s story so that all women are aware of the potential dangers of tampons.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"