Lauren Wasser, a California model and athlete, is suing tampon manufacturer Kotex after she lost her leg due to Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) , Vice reports. TSS is a rare complication of bacterial infections that are closely associated with tampon use.
Wasser, now 27, was living her dream life in Santa Monica. She juggled modeling, improv classes, recreational basketball, 30-mile bike rides and played a role in the Los Angeles social scene.
"Everything was based on looks," she told Vice. "I was that girl, and I didn't even think about it."
That was until October 2012, when a seemingly normal run to her local Ralph's grocery store for a pack of her go-to Kotex Natural Balance tampons quickly led to a fight for her life. A few days later, Wasser was rushed to the hospital with a 107 fever. Once she arrived, doctors told her she had suffered a heart attack, her organs were shutting down and was 10 minutes from death, according to the Daily Mail. She was diagnosed with TSS and put into a medically induced coma when her symptoms turned into gangrene. Doctors had to amputate her leg to save her life.
Now Wasser in involved in a lawsuit against the Kimberly-Clark Corporation (owner of the Kotex brand) as well as grocery stores Kroger and Ralph's who carry the Kotex Natural Balance tampons, MSN reports.
The model's lawyer, Hunter J. Shkolnik, said he's not surprised by Wasser's case.
"The tampon has not been changed since the day of the original TSS epidemic. All they did was put on the label, 'Oh you can get toxic shock.' The material has gone unchanged for decades," he told Vice.
Wasser hopes her lawsuit will promote change in the way tampons are marketed to prevent future cases of TSS.
"You know cigarettes can kill you, so when you use them, it's your choice," she said. "Had I known all the info about TSS, I would have never used tampons."
