This story shows that what seem like simple products can hold threats for our health. In the year 2012, Lauren was a 24-year-old model in California leading the life that many dream about.
She was on the rise in her work, spent time with many, and did all the usual things a healthy girl does, such as use tampons during her monthly cycle.
But just within a day, my routine became a terrible experience.
The first signs I noticed were similar to those of the flu: body pains, coldness, extreme tiredness, and my fever rising. Still, what Lauren didn’t realize was that her difficulties came from somewhere else.
Dele was in the grip of menstrual toxic shock syndrome (mTSS), which is very rare and dangerous. Her body reacted this way because Staphylococcus aureus bacteria released toxins when left in her body with tampons for too long or because they did not work well with her body.
At the time she was rushed to the hospital, Lauren was no longer able to sustain her body’s functions. She experienced two heart attacks, her body temperature reached 42°C (107.6°F), her kidneys and other important organs were starting to stop working, and she was drifting into a coma.
Doctors thought that she had only a 1% chance of living. Since Jenna was likely to be insecure due to her mother’s previous experience in modeling, her mother was advised to expect difficulties.
Doctors told Lauren when she came to the next week that they had to remove her right leg in order to save her life. A drop in blood flow was the reason behind the gangrene, a usual problem for mTSS victims.
The damage to her tissues was so major that she needed to have the limb taken. She had to endure her toe loss on the left foot and it was tough for her to get better both physically and mentally.
What is especially sad is that Lauren didn’t deserve what happened to her. According to the company, millions of women use these tampons just as Bell had done. However, the toxins affected her body very powerfully.
I behaved correctly throughout the process. I followed the instructions printed on the box. She confessed to Harper’s Bazaar that she did what she was informed to do.
However, that did not stop her from being attacked.
The effects of trauma were not gone even after 2012. After her recovery from physical therapy, depression, and attempting to get back to normal life, Lauren still had to deal with pain and infection in her left leg.
Her doctors kept saying for many years that she could lose her eyesight. In 2018, which followed the first amputation by seven years, Lauren’s left leg was also cut off.
Losing my arm a second time was very hard for me. Although the pain in my body was terrible, the mental impact was much worse. She admitted that her life totally changed in a moment.
Movement was difficult, so becoming a model was impossible for me. The path I took made it hard to see what my personal goals and desires were. She sometimes considered committing suicide when her life was the most difficult.
The solution appeared in Petra’s mind out of nowhere, suggested by her younger brother. She pictured herself being with him after school and him stumbling upon her.
Looking at what she wanted helped her continue, faced with adversity. “He made a difference for me without even knowing,” she told everyone later on.
While working on her recovery, Lauren came to learn that she wasn’t facing it alone. All over the world, women had gone through surgery for mTSS and some did not survive.
Ever since the 1980s, certain cases highlighted the problem, but the results were not substantial. Even though tampons were produced using artificial fibers and chemicals at that time, brands shared very little about their products.
That moment helped Lauren discover more about herself. By finding her voice, she also found out what she wanted to do with her life.
She started campaigning for menstrual item changes, pushing companies to expose every ingredient and improve how they label items. She spoke out using her experience as a model and as a victim to warn others about the issue of synthetic tampons and their effect on bacteria.
She pointed out that the billion-dollar feminine hygiene industry should provide warnings and better options to people.
According to Lauren’s piece for InStyle, the vagina is the most absorbent part of a woman’s body and acts as an entry point for many important organs, so it is vital for consumers to be aware of what might happen to them.
She fought for change from the heart, not only because of the laws. She started addressing schools, conferences on health, and state congress, asking for changes to happen.
She became known after being featured in The New York Times, Vogue, Elle, and similar magazines, and she started to support education and awareness campaigns for menstrual safety with nonprofits.
Still, the main thing that sets Lauren apart is her determination not to let her prosthetics determine what she can do. Actually, she turned these qualities into examples of strength.
Because she was inspired by hip-hop culture and fashion, she had her prosthetic legs covered in 24-karat gold to make them into art. Figuring she had to live with her legs, she decided to make them awesome. Why not have gold jewelry as a daily part of your style?
Now Lauren exercises by running five miles daily, going for Pilates lessons, hiking, playing basketball, and does work for major international fashion brands. Her words prove that she is unstoppable and can do anything. She speaks about it not through pride, but from strong and peaceful authority.
She shows how her life illustrates that such expectations for women’s weight, looks, and happiness are not realistic. She explains that society tends to emphasize the need for happiness throughout all situations. Experiencing ups and downs is actually normal. It is okay to break apart without losing your value. You may experience hardship yet you can still make it through life.
She believes her faith supports her, while at the same time says being honest with her emotions is important for real healing. She asks young women, along with others, to accept themselves as they really are.
She encouraged followers to pay less attention to what other people think this January. Be true to yourself and go out every day with a smile, even if you’re not in the mood for it. Guide your life in a positive way, and you can naturally inspire other people to do the same.
Lauren Wasser went through painful times, managed to survive, began again, and developed powerful self-love. Through her experiences, she has become an important speaker for those with menstruation-related diseases and helped shift the discussion about the issue. She believes that each heartbreak gives us a chance to rebuild and keep living in style.
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