The model, who dreams of becoming a professional basketball player, had both legs amputated in 2012 and 2017. Since then, he has turned this drama into strength and fighting.
She has at least four pairs of legs, one that she wears every day that allows her to swim, run, or even one that she can wear with stilettos. red carpets, all golden, dazzling, bright and very showy. “That’s my signature,” says Lauren Wasser. I like to show off my prosthetics. I want them to see, intrigue, people come to me to ask what happened to me, I want to show that I am alive and that despite my amputated legs, I exist, I live, or rather I live again. . His life changed one day in October 2012, he was 24 years old.
He lost consciousness, had a cardiac arrest twice, the police found him in an unconscious state at home, and then took him to the hospital. Doctors are taking the time to analyze what is going on with this healthy, athletic young woman, basketball champion and top model. Through analysis, they detect toxic shock syndrome (TSS) due to the use of sanitary tampons containing toxic chemicals (including dioxin) as absorbent as possible. This toxic shock is an infectious disease caused by bacteria, which can occur during menstruation and prolonged use of vaginal protection devices.
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“The only thing I remember waking up in my hospital room is seeing a Post-it note with ‘yes’ on my left leg and ‘no’ on my right.” His left leg is amputated, as are the toes of his right foot. The test begins. “I was constantly in pain. Everything required superhuman effort. It hurts to move. Dressing alone had become almost impossible. All my organs are infected: my kidneys, my stomach, my intestines. I felt that my second leg was becoming gangrenous little by little.” Five years later, his necrotic leg was also amputated. “It was liberation for me. I was no longer in pain. I looked at my prosthetics and wondered what I could do to make them my own. This is where I came up with the idea of having gold dentures to imitate the rapper ASAP Rocky who covers his teeth with gold. I felt like I had jewelry on my feet.”
“Everything had to be rebuilt”
How to recover yourself after such an ordeal? “It is a correct question. Either you choose to stay in the shadows and death slowly lurks around the corner, or you choose to fight. But you can’t do it alone. You must have the humility to ask for help. The road is extremely difficult. Do you realize? Everything had to be rebuilt. My identity, my life choices that I had begun to develop, my relationship with the world.” Before these amputations, Lauren Wasser only dreamed of basketball, her passion, to the point where she wanted to become a professional player and go to the WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association). She would rather buy a pair of sneakers than high heels. She was a real bum while still being a popular model. “Being deprived of my legs was not the only problem I had to deal with. I also had to deal with my anger at being a victim of a stupid tampon full of toxins, because I was so moved by multinational companies selling their sanitary protection without informing consumers of the dangers. I consider their attitude to be criminal. But how can we fight against billions of profit making companies? At least the tobacco industry says on its packages that smoking kills.”
Lauren Wasser is not the first victim. In the 1980s, an epidemic in the United States established a link between the use of sanitary tampons and the occurrence of toxic shock syndrome. “Hundreds of young women have died because of the additives in these sanitary protection products to make them more effective. And what annoys me is that the victims are getting younger and younger, because their periods are coming earlier and earlier because of the food full of hormones.” With the help of Democratic Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, Lauren is pushing to pass the Robin Danielson Feminine Hygiene Product Safety Act, named after a TSS victim who died in 1998, a law that would require manufacturers to be transparent about the ingredients in the sanitary tampons she carries. considers “chemical waste”.
Matthew Brooks
“It must be useful for something”
At the age of 36, Lauren Wasser is still a model. “I don’t understand why I would stop. I was born into this environment. Pamela Cook, my mother, is a famous model. Since playing basketball was no longer an option, I had to continue this activity to avoid betraying myself and losing face. Also, keep making the front page of magazines and being present on it first rows Participating in press campaigns, enriching my Instagram page, staying visible and influential helps me in my new career as an activist.” When he travels, he shows off his prostheses in airports, kids come to see him, touch him, check that he’s not an alien and not to be afraid of the difference, of the traps that pull you back that violate existence. Nothing will stop this young woman on her golden legs, in incredible outfits, sparkly shorts or mini skirts, who keeps repeating: “Never give up: I lost a part of me that I can never get back and it has to serve a purpose. Today I feel free, happy and useful. I thank God, my family and friends for supporting me all these years.”
Source: Le Figaro
