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Lauren Wasser (29) lost her right leg in 2012 after contracting toxic shock syndrome (TSS) caused by a tampon. The model may soon have to have her left leg amputated as well.
In 2012 she experienced flu-like symptoms when she was menstruating but it was actually the symptoms caused by an infection, according to Metro.
She soon suffered a heart attack, kidney failure and gangrene in both legs led to the amputation of her right leg below the knee and toes of her left foot.
In an essay written for InStyle, the model wrote: “My left foot has an open ulcer, no heel and no toes,” she wrote. “I’m in daily excruciating pain.”
“In a few months, I’m inevitably going to have my other leg amputated.
“There’s nothing I can do about it. But what I can do is help make sure that this doesn’t happen to others.”
Lauren further explained: “Over the years, my body has produced a lot of calcium, which causes my bones to grow on that foot.
“Basically, my brain is telling my toes to grow back — and it got to the point where I need surgery to shave the bone down because it becomes too unbearable to walk.”
Since the loss of her right leg, Lauren has made it her mission to ensure that women are educated about harmful substance in feminine hygiene products.
“Every time I turn on the TV it infuriates me,” Wasser wrote.
“You’ll see an ad for Advil or Viagra and hear some monotonous voice warn you about even the smaller side-effects like headaches or nausea.
“When you see a tampon commercial, it’s all happy teenage girls running along the beach in bikinis. The dangers are beyond minimised.”
She’s also campaigning for the US government to pass a bill called the Robin Danielson Act, named after a woman who died of a similar affliction in 1998, according to New York Post.
If the bill is passed, feminine hygiene companies will be required to disclose the substances used in the products as well as the long-term health effects.
“It’s time that we, as consumers, demand safer products and more transparency about what’s going into our bodies,” she wrote.
Sources: Metro, New York Post, InStyle, News.com
