“I Almost Died and Lost Both My Legs Because of a Tampon, but Survived as a Successful Model”

Photo 1 of 4

LA-based model Lauren Wasser, age 35, almost died after a tampon gave her Toxic Shock Syndrome. As a result of TSS, she had both her legs amputated but survived to tell the tale of her near-death experience. Sharing her story and the impact of the traumatizing experience on Steven Bartlett’s The Diary of a CEO Podcast.

Lauren first started feeling symptoms of the flu. Little did she know these flu-like symptoms would soon lead to a severe heart attack. She then went on life support, and gangrene started taking over both legs. As a result, both legs were amputated below the knee.

After the harrowing experience, Lauren Wasser made it her life mission to warn young girls and women about the possible risks and side effects of using tampons. She promotes legislation for further transparency in the sale of feminine hygiene products.

In 2012, Wasser was 24 years old. At the time, she had rejected the offer of a full basketball scholarship at a prestigious university in order to pivot to her passion — a career in fashion.

How Women Live in Saudi Arabia: Bans and Prejudices

Being a woman in Saudi Arabia is not as easy as it may seem to uninformed people. The thing is that inside their country they have more prohibitions than permits, which greatly affects their life in general and their existence in society. The most interesting thing in this situation is that at the legislative level, no prohibitions have been spelled out and to this day exist as a kind of tribute to traditions. But this, of course, does not free the woman from moral repressions and even physical punishment for the slightest misconduct, up to and including loss of life. The one that can and cannot be women in Saudi Arabia will be discussed in this collection.