The Diary of a CEO

Shocking TRUE Story: “I Lost Both Of My Legs Because Of A Tampon” (Health Warning) - Lauren Wasser

In this new episode Steven sits down with model, Toxic Shock Syndrome survivor and activist Lauren Wasser. 0:00 Intro 02:13 Early context 05:26 The day your life changed forever 11:49 Toxic shock syndrome caused by a tampon 20:22 The choice to amputate your leg 32:52 Your mother during all of this 37:29 The period after the operation, suicidal thoughts 50:35 Life after losing your legs 01:00:22 Therapy & acceptance 01:10:19 Making the decision to amputate the other leg 01:12:50 Losing your godfather 01:17:24 Why golden legs? 01:21:40 What causes TSS? 01:26:28 Campaigning to have laws changed 01:28:33 Alternatives 01:31:58 Forgiveness 01:34:53 Would you change anything now? 01:38:32 If your work was to be done, what would it look like? 01:43:06 The last guest's question You can learn more about Toxic Shock Syndrome here: https://bit.ly/3O1Lu92 You can also learn more about the impact of TSS on the people who have lost loved ones due to the syndrome, here: https://bit.ly/43KouB4 Follow Lauren: Instagram: https://bit.ly/3rOB3yk Twitter: https://bit.ly/44DkrYF My new book! 'The 33 Laws Of Business & Life' pre order link: https://smarturl.it/DOACbook Join this channel to get access to perks: https://bit.ly/3Dpmgx5 Follow me:  Instagram: http://bit.ly/3nIkGAZ Twitter: http://bit.ly/3ztHuHm Linkedin: https://bit.ly/41Fl95Q Telegram: http://bit.ly/3nJYxST Sponsors:  Huel: https://g2ul0.app.link/G4RjcdKNKsb Whoop: http://bit.ly/3zNvvop

LWLauren WasserguestSBSteven Bartletthost

Jul 27, 2023·1h 46m·Watch on YouTube ↗

📖 CHAPTERS

1. 1
   3:30 – 9:00

   Perfection, Modeling, and a Tomboy Athlete Childhood

   Lauren recounts growing up in the Los Angeles fashion world with supermodel parents while identifying as a tomboy and committed basketball player. She explains how early exposure to beauty standards contrasted with her athletic identity and how sports instilled the discipline and resilience that would later help her survive.

2. 2
   9:00 – 21:30

   October 3, 2012: From Flu Symptoms to 10 Minutes From Death

   Lauren walks through the day her life changed: a heavy period, feeling flu-ish, repeated tampon changes, and a worsening illness that was mistaken for the seasonal flu. After a failed welfare check and hours on her apartment floor, she was found near death and rushed to hospital, where a rare doctor recognized TSS.

3. 3
   21:30 – 30:10

   Coma, Organ Failure, and Discovering Toxic Shock Syndrome

   Lauren describes her week-and-a-half in a coma, the extreme medical interventions used to keep her alive, and her disorienting awakening in a swollen body. She learns that she had a 1% chance of survival and that her case was caused by toxic shock syndrome from a tampon, not misuse.

4. 4
   30:10 – 39:40

   Facing Amputation: Shock, Gangrene, and a Broken System

   In ICU, Lauren’s extremities darken as her body preserves vital organs, leading doctors to consider amputating both legs and possibly hands. She overhears a nurse scheduling her right leg amputation, spirals into panic, and is transferred to UCLA for hyperbaric therapy amid stark lessons about healthcare inequality.

5. 5
   39:40 – 47:00

   Choosing Life Over Limbs: Surgery, Raw Pain, and Family Trauma

   Doctors tell Lauren gangrene is racing up her right leg and that amputation is required to save her life, with uncertain prospects for her damaged left foot. She signs consent forms amid terror, undergoes surgery, and then endures 24 hours without pain medication due to heart complications, feeling every cut.

6. 6
   47:00 – 55:40

   Eight Months in a Wheelchair: Depression, Suicide Ideation, and Faith

   After discharge, Lauren returns home in a wheelchair with a precarious left foot and grieves her old life. She hides from the world, experiences intense daily pain and suicidal thoughts, yet an inner voice and love for her family keep her from acting on them, while she wrestles with anger at God.

7. 7
   55:40 – 1:05:20

   Seven Years of Pain, Limb-Salvage Attempts, and the Second Amputation

   Lauren details the grueling seven-year effort to salvage her left leg: repeated surgeries, skin grafts, bone overgrowth, and relentless heel pain. Eventually she chooses to amputate the second leg at 30, a decision she says finally gave her back her life, freedom, and athletic identity.

8. 8
   1:05:20 – 1:11:40

   From Hiding to Golden Legs: Identity, Disability, and Representation

   Lauren describes the evolution from hiding her prosthetic under baggy clothes to embracing gleaming gold legs inspired by A$AP Rocky’s gold grill. She shares how kids react with wonder, not fear, and how visible confidence shifts public perception of disability and encourages curiosity instead of shame.

9. 9
   1:11:40 – 1:15:50

   Inside Toxic Tampons: Chemicals, Early Puberty, and Corporate Greed

   Lauren breaks down how tampons and many pads are manufactured with toxic substances and how early menstruation due to hormone-laden food increases risk. She argues that companies and regulators have failed to act because it’s cheaper to maintain the status quo and settle lawsuits than redesign products.

10. 10
    1:15:50 – 1:21:00

    Advocacy, Legislation, and the Fight for Safer Menstrual Products

    Lauren outlines her advocacy work alongside Dawn Mesavi, whose daughter died of TSS, to push for federal legislation mandating research, regulation, and transparency for menstrual products. She connects personal storytelling, including a forthcoming documentary, to policy change and envisions a future where no one faces what she did.

11. 11
    1:21:00 – 1:46:55

    Meaning, Acceptance, and the Choice to Keep Living

    In closing, Lauren reflects on purpose, forgiveness, and what she wants her legacy to be. She rejects forgiving corporations that knowingly sell harmful products, but fully accepts her own path, insisting she would not undo what happened because it allows her to save lives and fight for future generations.