Lauren Wasser was a 24-year-old model from California when an ordinary day turned into the worst kind of nightmare. She went to the hospital with what felt like the flu\u2014fever, aches, exhaustion.<\/p>\n
Within hours she was in septic shock. Doctors discovered the cause wasn\u2019t influenza at all, but menstrual toxic shock syndrome (mTSS), a rare, fast-moving<\/p>\n
infection triggered by bacterial toxins. The likely culprit: a tampon she\u2019d been using exactly as instructed.<\/p>\n
Lauren slipped into a coma for more than a week. Her organs began to fail. She suffered two heart attacks. When she finally woke, doctors told her they had to amputate her right leg to save her life. She was 24.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d been using the same brand as always, following the directions like every woman does,\u201d she later told Harper\u2019s Bazaar. \u201cThat day the toxins took over my body. I had a 42\u00b0C fever, my kidneys and organs started failing, and I had a one-percent chance of survival.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lauren\u2019s fight didn\u2019t end there. Years later, lingering damage meant she also lost her left leg. In between,<\/p>\n
she sued the manufacturer of the tampons she\u2019d used and began speaking out about a risk most people barely think about. \u201cThe vagina is the most absorbent<\/p>\n
part of a woman\u2019s body and a gateway to many vital organs,\u201d she wrote in InStyle. \u201cConsumers deserve to know the reality of what can happen.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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