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" All of a sudden, I don't have a leg. I'm in a wheelchair. I have half a foot; I can't even walk to the bathroom. I'm in a bed, I can't move, and I felt like those four walls were my prison. "

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" 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. "

Lauren Wasser

I Am

Myself

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

" Because we are women, we have to fight for everything. We need to stick together. "

" Had I known all the info about TSS, I would never have used tampons. "

" 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. "

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

Lauren Wasser

Everything

Life

" 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. "

Lauren Wasser

Change

Journey

" 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. "

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

" I used to look at fashion from a superficial standpoint, and I can admit now that I wasn't so nice of a person. "

" Both my mom and dad were models. "

" 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. "

" 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. "

Lauren Wasser

People

Beautiful

" I can do both of the things I love, which is raise awareness for TSS and work as a model to help change beauty standards. It was a win-win. "

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

" I hope to continue to open more doors and inspire more people, especially other amputees, to know that they are beautiful, too. "

" My go-to fashion uniform would be shorts and some really cool sneakers. "

" 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. "

" 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. "

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

" 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. "

Lauren Wasser

Fine

Letters

" I read the personal stories everyone shares with me - those stories inspire me to keep going, and in doing so, I hope that I can inspire them in return. "

Lauren Wasser

Inspire

Doing

" Social media forced us to look at the bigger picture. More people are standing up saying, 'Hey, wait, this is beautiful, too,' and the fashion industry is listening. "

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

" I want the image of disabled people like myself to change into a picture of strength. Fashion needs to redefine its idea of beauty and have more of an open mind. "

" My 20s were pretty painful. "

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

Lauren Wasser

Possible

Keep Going

" My legs were my life. "

" First and foremost, I loved basketball. My dad introduced me to basketball when I was a baby. "

Lauren Wasser

Loved

First

" I just really love wearing shorts! "