How Lauren Wasser Lost Her Legs Due to Tampon Use but Found Strength to Get Back Up and Change the World for the Better
Lauren Wasser, “the Girl with the Golden Legs,” has become a star of this year’s Paris fashion week. And just 10 years ago, Lauren could barely look at her body after she’d lost both her legs due to toxic shock syndrome caused by regular tampon use. But Lauren managed to overcome her problems and become a role model who proves that people are capable of anything.
Lauren has been fond of fashion since childhood. Her parents were both models, she traveled with them and even appeared on the pages of fashion magazines when she was a baby. In 2012, when she was 24, Lauren was focused on her modeling career and knew exactly what she wanted to do in life. But in October of that year, her life turned upside down when she suddenly felt sick, as if she had the flu.
Lauren was at her friend’s birthday party but had to leave early because she didn’t feel well. Later, she stopped answering calls, and her friends, who were worried about her, came to her apartment and found her lying on the floor unconscious. She was immediately taken to the hospital. She had a fever, her organs began to fail, and she suffered a heart attack and contracted pneumonia. Lauren was diagnosed with toxic shock syndrome caused by tampon use.
Doctors recommended amputating both legs, but there was a 50% chance her left leg could be saved, so Lauren took the risk. The period of rehabilitation wasn’t easy either. After she was released from the hospital, she spent eight months in a wheelchair. The fact that she was unable to do anything herself made her feel desperate.
She survived only thanks to the support of her family — they took countless photos of her to help her accept her new body and realize that she was beautiful.
But her suffering wasn’t over yet. During the following six years, her left leg caused her so much pain that Lauren had to make a difficult decision. She decided to have her left leg amputated too to live a free, normal life and become a mother one day.
And her life really changed for the better.
Lauren has spent 10 years raising awareness about toxic shock syndrome and the way tampons affect women’s lives. She was involved in the development of the Feminine Hygiene Product Safety Act, which requires to do more extended research on feminine hygiene products and the potential health risks they may cause.
Lauren also turned the fashion industry upside down when she started strutting down the runway in her golden prosthetic legs, showing the entire world that beauty can be different. She is sure that she can become a good example to those children and teenagers who are not happy with their own looks due to the standards imposed by social media and different apps.
Lauren is planning to take part in a marathon using running blades in 2023. She is also working on a documentary of her own life. She wants to tell her story to the world so that the same thing will never happen to any other woman.
Have you ever heard about toxic shock syndrome? What do you think about Lauren’s approach to life? Tell us in the comments below.