1. THE 5'11" BEAUTY IS SLOWLY
REBUILDING HER CAREER AFTER
AN INFECTION CLAIMED
HER LEG—AND NEARLY
TOOK HER LIFE
BY ANA CALDERONE
MODEL
LAUREN
WASSER
W
hen Lauren Wasser
startedfeeling“really,
really sick” with flu-
like symptoms at a
birthday celebration
in October 2012, she thought all she
needed was a good night’s sleep. “My
friendsweregoingtoanafterparty,and
Iwaslike,‘Ineedtogohome,’”shetells
People.“AllIwantedwasmybed.”The
nextthingsheremembersiswakingup
in the hospital. “I had tubes in my
mouth and in my throat,” says the
27-year-old model, who’d been found
unconscious on the floor of her Santa
Monicaapartmentafterherconcerned
mother called the police. She was
rushedtothehospitalwitha107-degree
LifeAfter
ToxicShock
Syndrome
69PEOPLE July 6, 2015
“Even when
I was hating life,
something inside
me said keep
going,” says TSS
survivor Wasser
(in Los Angeles).
COURTESYJENNIFERROVERO/CAMRAFACE

2. feverandorganfailure:“Ijustrememberbeing
inexcruciatingpain.”
At the Saint John’s Health Center, an infec-
tious-disease specialist diagnosed Wasser with
toxicshocksyndrome,apotentiallyfatalcompli-
cationfrombacterialinfectionsprimarilyassoci-
atedwithtamponuse(seesidebar).Wasser,who
hadherperiodatthetimeandsaysshechanged
hertamponthreetimesthatday,withinthedoc-
tor-recommendedrangetoavoidTSS,suffereda
heart attack and developed gangrene, which
required a below-the-
kneeamputationofher
right leg and caused severe damage to her left
foot. “I thought it was a really bad nightmare,”
shesays.“Ijustwanteditnottobereal.”
The 5'11" model—who, before the infection,
walked runway shows and posed for catalogs
including Nordstrom—spent four months in
the hospital and another eight in a wheelchair.
“Ireallywantedtokillmyself,”sheadmits,but
her mom, Pamela, and younger brother Chris
Cook inspired her to stay strong: “I wanted to
showChristhatIcouldbebadassandrecover.”
Meanwhile Wasser’s photographer girlfriend
Jennifer Rovero used her art for a deeply per-
sonal brand of phototherapy. “She was so
embarrassed[aboutherprosthesis],”saysRov-
ero.“SoIwouldphotographher,videoherand
show it to her afterwards. Every time we did
that,shegotalittlebitstronger.”
Now Wasser—who vows she’ll never use a
tampon again—is suing the manufacturer of
KotexNaturalBalance,thebrandofsuper-plus
tampons she used, seeking damages and fight-
ingforclearerinstructionsontamponboxes.(A
spokespersonforthemanufacturerKimberly-
Clark says the company “does not comment
regarding ongoing litigation.”) Wasser also
hopestoeducategirlsaboutthepotentialrisks
of tampons. “If people see the pain I’ve had to
go through, maybe they’ll be more cautious,”
she says. Recently signed with a new modeling
agency, Vision Los Angeles, she’s working to
reestablish her career—and to inspire others
withdisabilities.“Iwantkidswithamputations
toknowtheyarestillbeautiful,”shesays.“Ican
turn this into something positive—that’s my
wholelifegoalnow.”•
WhatYou
NeedtoKnow
AboutTSS
Accordingtothemost
recentstudybythe
CentersforDisease
Control,toxicshock
syndromeaffects
around1in100,000
femalesbetweentheages
of10and39annually.
(Causedbyastrainof
Staphylococcusaureus,
TSSbeginswithfever,
rashes,headacheand
muscleaches.)Following
astringofhigh-profile
incidentsinthe’80s,
tamponboxesnow
containwarningsabout
TSS,tellingusersto
changetheirtampons
everyfourtoeighthours,
andtousethelowest
absorbencypossible
giventheirmenstrual
flow(ortoskipusing
tamponsentirely).“You
cannevergetridofthe
risk,butyoucanreduce
itaslowaspossibleby
usingthelowest
absorbency,”confirmsDr.
PatrickM.Schlievert,the
chairofthedepartment
ofmicrobiologyatthe
UniversityofIowa’s
CarverCollegeof
Medicine,whohasworked
on8,000TSScases.“The
majorityofwomen are
goingtobesafeusing
tampons.”
July 6, 2015 PEOPLE70
“I was in a really
dark place,” says
Wasser (with her
cocker spaniel
at the hospital
in 2012).
A LIFE ON-CAMERA
(1)Wasser posed for her photographer
girlfriend Jennifer Rovero in June 2015. (2)A
2004 modeling shot for Z!NK magazine. (3)
“Jen has shown me that I am beautiful and still
worthy,” says Wasser (with Rovero in February).
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