Lauren Wasser was 24 years-old when she had her right leg amputated after contracting toxic shock syndrome. Now she says a second amputation to her left leg is her “only way to freedom.” The Los Angeles based model’s battle with the life-threatening condition– caused by bacterial toxins– began with a tampon in 2012.
At first, Wasser thought she had flu-like symptoms, but that led to a massive heart attack and gangrene began to consume both of her legs. At the time, doctors wanted to amputate both legs, but she fought to keep her left– losing her right leg below the knee, as well as the toes and heel on her left leg.
“When I see ads for tampons, it’s always a woman running on the beach or swimming in the ocean,” Wasser told People magazine. “There’s no warning whatsoever that a.) a tampon could a kill you, or b.) you could lose limbs or forever be damaged by using this product. When I see that, I think, “I haven’t been able to do any of those things in five years. So much of my life has been taken because of this.”
In an InStyle op-ed written this past November, the 29-year-old opened up about the toll the disease has put on her life, and revealed that a second amputation for her left leg is vital for her health and comfortability.
“I don’t have toes, and I have to go to wound care every Monday for my heel. I’m in so much pain. It’s a hard decision, but my only way to freedom,” says the former basketball player. “I can’t wait to have two gold blades, to run and feel the wind on my face again.”
In the meantime, Wasser, who’s posed for brands like Nordstrom and Kenneth Cole, is tirelessly working to make sure that what happened to her doesn’t happen to others. She’s advocating for legislation like that of U.S. Rep. Carolyn Mooney that requires feminine hygiene product companies to disclose exactly what is going into these products and what their long-term health effects are.