She lost both legs after using an everyday household product

Lauren Wasser is a model from California who lost her right leg in 2012 for a reason few people would ever expect.

Most of us would never imagine that a basic hygiene product could trigger a medical catastrophe and permanently alter a life. But that is exactly what happened to Lauren, and today she is determined to make sure other women understand the risks she never knew existed.

Lauren has made it her mission to warn people about the potential dangers hidden in an everyday product many women use without a second thought.

In 2012, Lauren went to the hospital believing she had the flu. Instead, doctors discovered she was suffering from menstrual toxic shock syndrome, also known as mTSS. The condition is caused by bacterial toxins and can develop when tampons are used, particularly if they are left in for extended periods.

The infection overwhelmed her body. Lauren fell into a coma that lasted more than a week. When she woke up, doctors had no choice but to amputate her right leg in order to save her life. She was only 24 years old.

She has been clear about one thing ever since: no one else should have to endure what she did.

Lauren later filed a lawsuit against Kotex Natural Balance, the tampon brand she had been using. She explained that she had followed the instructions exactly, just as millions of women do every day.

“I’d been using the same product I always had, following the directions on the box,” she told Harper’s Bazaar. “That day, the toxins took over my body and I nearly died. I had a 42-degree Celsius fever, my organs began shutting down, and I suffered two heart attacks. I had only a one-percent chance of surviving.”

She has also spoken openly about the lack of transparency surrounding tampon safety. Writing for InStyle, Lauren emphasized how critical it is for consumers to be informed. She pointed out that the vagina is one of the most absorbent parts of the body and directly connected to vital organs, making it essential for women to understand the real risks involved.

Sadly, Lauren’s ordeal didn’t end there. Seven years after her initial diagnosis, complications from mTSS forced doctors to amputate her other leg as well.

“My life changed instantly,” she said. “I couldn’t even stand up, let alone continue modeling. I lost my sense of identity and my direction in life. During my darkest moments, I thought about ending my life.”

What stopped her was her younger brother. He was usually the first one home from school, and the thought of him finding her was unbearable. That single image kept her going. Slowly, she began to reframe her suffering, choosing to see it not as an ending, but as a challenge she could face.

Later, Lauren learned something that devastated and angered her: menstrual toxic shock syndrome had been killing women for decades. That realization ignited a new purpose. She decided to speak out, not only for herself, but for the many women who lost their lives, their health, or their futures without ever being heard.

“I should still have my legs,” Lauren has said. “No woman should have to risk her life just by using a tampon.”

Over time, she learned to accept her new reality. The process was gradual and far from easy. Inspired by A$AP Rocky’s gold grills, she chose to have her prosthetic legs cast in gold. To her, they became more than medical devices. They were art.

“Why not wear gold jewelry all the time?” she joked.

Today, Lauren lives boldly and without apology. She runs five miles a day, hikes with her dog, practices Pilates, plays basketball, and has even appeared in an international lingerie campaign. “There’s nothing I can’t do,” she says. “And I don’t even need pedicures.”

Her message to others is simple but powerful.

She knows that forging your own path is never easy, but she believes it is necessary. She wants people to see her not as a symbol, but as a regular woman who survived something traumatic and came out stronger.

Life will deliver blows, she says, but resilience opens doors you never imagined. “Own who you are,” Lauren encourages. “Walk out the door every day with a smile, even when you don’t feel like it. Take control of your life, and you’ll inspire others without even trying.”

She credits her faith for grounding her, while also acknowledging that it’s okay to struggle. “There’s so much pressure to be happy all the time,” she says. “Sometimes it’s okay to care a little less about what people think.”

In a world driven by social media approval, Lauren’s reminder is clear: you are already enough.