Shocking TRUE Story: “I Lost Both Of My Legs Because Of A Tampon” (Health Warning) - Lauren Wasser

The Incident: Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS)

• Event: On October 3, 2012, Lauren Wasser (age 24) collapsed while menstruating in her Santa Monica apartment after changing a super-absorbent tampon.
• Diagnosis: She was 10 minutes from death when police found her face down on the floor; she was diagnosed with Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) caused by a retained tampon.
• Medical Crisis: Wasser suffered two heart attacks, organ failure, and a fever of 107°F; doctors estimated a 1% chance of survival.
• Hospitalization: She was placed on life support in a coma for 1.5 weeks and had 100 pounds of fluid pumped into her body to flush toxins.
• Immediate Outcome: Upon waking, she was found to be 200 pounds, with gangrene setting in on her right leg and discoloration on her hands.

Surgical Decisions and Amputation

• Initial Amputation Decision: Doctors determined her right leg required immediate amputation below the knee to prevent the infection from spreading to her heart and killing her; she felt every second of the surgery because she was denied pain medication for 24 hours to protect her heart.
• Second Amputation: Despite keeping her left leg for seven years, she underwent a second amputation (toes and heel) to gain freedom and mobility, as the damaged heel caused excruciating pain where bone protruded through skin.
• Treatment History: During the seven years between amputations, she underwent multiple surgeries, including skin grafts using "apple grafts" (baby foreskin) and daily hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
• Healthcare Disparity: Access to advanced care at UCLA (hyperbaric chambers) was secured through personal connections; Wasser notes that without these connections, she would not have survived.

Psychological Impact and Recovery

• Suicidality: Wasser spent eight months in a wheelchair, experiencing severe depression and daily thoughts of suicide due to the loss of her athletic identity and body image.
• Turning Point: Her recovery was driven by a desire to survive for her younger brother and a spiritual realization to "just hold on" despite feeling abandoned by a higher power initially.
• Community Connection: She found resilience by connecting with veterans in a prosthetic facility, realizing that choosing life after trauma was a shared human experience.
• Acceptance: She moved from hiding her disability in sweatpants to embracing her "Golden Legs" (decorated prosthetics), viewing them as trophies and jewelry rather than disabilities.

Industry Advocacy and Safety Concerns

• Toxic Ingredients: Wasser asserts that no feminine hygiene product on the market is truly safe, citing chlorine, bleach, dioxin, pesticides (even in organic cotton), and synthetic fibers.
• Systemic Neglect: She argues that the tampon industry is a billion-dollar sector where companies prioritize profit and paying lawsuits over reforming product safety or ingredient transparency.
• Gender Disparity: Wasser highlights that if a male product caused similar limb loss, legislation would pass immediately; she believes female health is deprioritized because men dominate the decision-making roles in these corporations.
• Advocacy Efforts: She is collaborating with Madeline Masabi (whose daughter died of TSS) to pass the "Robin Danielson Act," a bill reintroduced to Congress to mandate better labeling and safety standards for tampons.
• Legislative History: The original Robin Danielson Act was rejected by Congress ten times; Wasser and Masabi are currently working to reintroduce and amend the legislation.

Forward-Looking Statements and Future Goals

• Definition of Success: Wasser defines her "job done" as the day women are guaranteed safe feminine hygiene products and no longer risk death for a biological necessity.
• Legacy Goal: She aims to change the fashion and healthcare industries to ensure future generations do not face TSS, prioritizing saving lives over modeling achievements.
• Product Alternatives: While she urges women to be aware of ingredients in all products (including cups and pads), she states there are currently no 100% safe alternatives on the market, noting that even organic options are sprayed with pesticides.
• Personal Purpose: Wasser confirms she would not trade her current life, including her activism and "Golden Legs," even if she could wake up with her original legs, citing the fulfillment of her purpose as greater than physical wholeness.