I think getting rid of my leg was getting rid of the past and getting ready for my journey ahead.

Lauren Wasser

Categorized in : Think Ahead Past Journey

My goal is to keep going and reach as far as possible to beat all odds placed before me.

beat reach me keep-going

Your body is a vessel. It doesn't really matter. It's what you leave here and how you influence other people's lives - that's what legacy you'll leave behind.

you legacy body people

Every time I turn on the TV, it infuriates me. You'll see an ad for Advil or Viagra and hear some monotonous voice warn you about even the smaller side effects like headaches or nausea. When you see a tampon commercial, it's all happy teenage girls running along the beach in bikinis. The dangers are beyond minimized.

me you happy time

I'm more beautiful than I've ever been because I've experienced so many things, and I can relate to so many different people. And you know, it's just made me a better person.

me you beautiful people

Had I known toxic shock was real, and had I seen someone that had either lost limbs or spoke about it publicly, I would have never used tampons.

someone never real lost

I stand not just for a disability, but I stand for women and women's rights.

stand just disability women

Both my mom and dad were models.

both mom-and-dad dad mom

My legs were my life.

my-life were legs life

I have a golden leg that I am completely proud of, but my left foot that has an open ulcer, no heel, and no toes. Over the years, my body has produced a lot of calcium, which causes my bones to grow on that foot.

grow i-am proud body

Toxic Shock Syndrome cost me my leg, but, years later, I have since dedicated myself to raising awareness about TSS prevention. I am comfortable in my new role as an advocate against an affliction that affects thousands.

i-am new myself me

I want to educate women about the potential risks of using tampons.

potential risks women want

It wasn't until my girlfriend, photographer Jennifer Rovero, took hundreds of pictures of me as I recovered from my amputations that things started to change. The process was a sort of therapy for me, which Jennifer coined as 'photo therapy.' I grew to see the beauty and strength in myself and my journey through the lens of her camera.

myself strength change beauty

I'm an athlete - my legs were everything. I had no idea what my life would be like without them.

my-life everything like life

The letters TSS that I once read in the fine print buried on the bottom of tampon boxes soon came to define me. TSS - Toxic Shock Syndrome: a potentially fatal complication of certain types of bacterial infections.

me toxic fine letters

They say that it's rare, and for the longest time, I felt alone being a victim of TSS. It not only left physical wounds but mental ones. I battled PTSD and fell into a dark depression after what happened. I melted into my bed, and life just sort of stopped.

alone depression time life

I begged my mother to not allow them to take it. We did our best, but unfortunately, I had to lose my right leg.

right lose best mother

My left foot is severely damaged from TSS, and I'm probably going to have to amputate my left leg. I could be super depressed about it, but I have been given a second chance. I'm here, and I'm living.

living second-chance left chance

The future is going to be awesome!

awesome going future

The identity that I knew was completely stripped of me. I hid, and I hated life; I hated everything. The sun would bother me.

me identity sun life

For five years of my life, I was just getting by - every day was painful. I couldn't wear heels, I couldn't run, and I could only walk for, like, 20 minutes. That's not living.

walk my-life day life