A Model Who Lost Her Leg to Toxic Shock Just Owned Fashion Week
Lauren Wasser is unstoppable.
Lauren Wasser is a 28-year-old model who has worked in the fashion industry for several years. However, she only just made her New York Fashion Week debut this year.
There's no doubt that the talented model could have appeared in previous NYFW runway shows, but the time she spent away from the spotlight four years ago changed the course of her career forever.
At the age of 24 Wasser was experiencing her first career highs when she fell mysteriously ill.
She attended a party with friends one night, but felt flu-like symptoms. "Everyone was like, 'Dude, you look horrible,'" she told Vice. She decided to leave the party, drove home and fell asleep.
She woke up what could have been days later when the police came knocking at her door to perform a welfare check.
She had a 107-degree fever and her organs were failing but doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with her until an infectious disease specialist asked if she was wearing a tampon.
She was diagnosed with toxic shock syndrome and due to complications had to have her right leg amputated below the knee.
Her recovery was slow and painful, but with the help of her family and girlfriend and photographer Jennifer Rovero, she's been able to regain a sense of normalcy in her life and career.
Despite thinking she may never work again, offers began to come in after Rovero's photos of Wasser were posted online.
She is currently suing Kotex, the brand that made the tampon that caused her to get sick.
This year she got to walk in a show in New York Fashion Week for Chromat, an NYC-based fashion line specializing in women's wear.
She totally slayed the runway in a structured dress that glowed in the dark during the finale.
Get it, girl!