'I thought my life was over': Model who lost her leg after contracting toxic shock syndrome from a tampon reveals how she is restarting her career with a prosthetic limb

• Lauren Wasser, 27, was using Kotex Natural Balance tampons when she developed toxic shock syndrome (TSS) in 2012
• Her infection turned into gangrene, and she had to have her right leg amputated below the knee
• After believing her life was 'over', Lauren is now modeling again - and thinks she is more beautiful for her experiences
• She is pursuing a lawsuit against Kotex and the supermarket who sold her the tampons

By Catherine Townsend For Dailymail.com and Carly Stern For Dailymail.com

Published: 17:21 EST, 17 July 2015 | Updated: 18:47 EST, 17 July 2015

A young model who thought she would never work in the industry again after losing her leg to toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is finally getting back into modeling - and she's making a difference, too.

Lauren Wasser, 27, nearly died in 2012 when flu-like symptoms quickly escalated and landed her in the hospital. After her leg was amputated, the distraught beauty was sure her career was over, and recently took out a lawsuit against Kotex, the company that manufactured her tampon, and the supermarket company that sold it to her.

But now she's posing professionally once more, the Today show reported, and is even proudly showing off her prosthetic leg.

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Lauren Wasser reflects on suffering from toxic shock syndrome

Moving on: Lauren Wasser is determined to reignite her career, after losing a leg to toxic shock syndrome in 2012

Posing proudly: The 27-year-old has embraced her prosthetic limb and bares it in many of her model shots

'This product, a tampon, has changed my life forever. I can never be normal again,' she said.

Three years ago Lauren, then 24, was living her dream life. When the five-foot-eleven stunner, who appeared on the cover of Italian Vogue when she was only two years old, was not modeling, she filled her days with acting classes, athletics, and nights out on the town. 

'Everything was based on looks,' she told Vice. 'I was that girl, and I didn't even think about it.'

The ordeal that would transform her life forever began on October 3, 2012, when Lauren bought a box of Kotex Natural Balance tampons from a nearby Ralph's store. On that day Lauren recalled replacing her tampon in the morning, afternoon and evening.

Later that night, she started to feel seriously sick with what she has described as flu-like symptoms - so she drove home and and went to bed.

Worried that she hadn't heard from her daughter, Lauren's mother called police and requested a welfare check. When the cops showed up, they found Lauren facedown on the bedroom floor with a fever of 107 degrees Fahrenheit and rushed her to the hospital.

Not giving up: Lauren is now signed to model agency Vision Los Angeles

Making a difference: She's now modeling again, and taking no trouble to hide her prosthetic; other amputees have written to her to thank her

Came on quickly: In October of 2012, Lauren was using a tampon when she got seriously sick, and was eventually rushed to the hospital with a 107 degree Fahrenheit fever

Doctors said that her internal organs were shutting down, she had suffered a massive heart attack and was ten minutes from death.

'My right leg [felt] really bad,' Lauren, who is now signed to model agency Vision Los Angeles told Today. 'They both were just on fire. I mean, I can't even describe to you the pain.'

The medical team was baffled, until an infectious disease specialist figured out that she was suffering from toxic shock syndrome, a rare complication of bacterial infections that has been linked to use of super absorbent tampons.

Lauren said that she does not remember being put into a medically induced coma, or friends coming in to pay their last respects. She does remember waking up with 80 pounds of fluids being pumped into her, and black toxins pumping out. Her mother was advised to prepare for Lauren's funeral. 

Grim outlook: Doctors had told Lauren's mother to start preparing for her funeral before she began recovering

Feeling hopeless: Once her leg was amputated, Lauren thought that no one would ever look at her the same way again

Though she came out alive, the infection had turned into gangrene, and Lauren had to have her right leg amputated below the knee - which, at the time, seemed nearly as bad as dying.

'I literally was laying there thinking that my life was over,' she said. 'I would never be accepted again, I could never model again. No one would look at me the same.'

Three years later, Lauren said that she is finally coming to grips with what happened - and starting to move on with her life. She's even gotten back in front of the camera.  

'I'm more beautiful than I've ever been because I've experienced so many things,' she said. 'I can relate to so many different people. It's just made me a better person.'

Charmed life: At the age of 24, before her ordeal, Lauren (left) was a model who took improv classes and played sports in her spare time

Family ties: After Lauren fell ill very suddenly her mother (left) became concerned and called the police to do a welfare check

Now, photos of Lauren don't just look gorgeous - they're also giving hope to other people who have had limbs amputated.

In tears, she told Today: 'We have amputees who are writing us and saying: "Thank you for showing yourself in shorts", and that's what's so awesome, and it's made all the pain and suffering worth it. '

However, Lauren is still not done dealing with aftermath of her infection. She and her family are suing Kotex and her grocery store, saying that they are 'negligently, wantonly, recklessly, tortuously, and unlawfully responsible in some manner' for Lauren's hospitalization for TSS in part because the disclaimer on the tampon box was not clear enough.

The brand’s warning reads: 'Change your tampon every four to eight hours, including overnight’, which the family argues is confusing.  

Tampon transparency: Lauren is suing Kotex, and her lawyer says that the family's goal is to ensure that women are better informed of the dangers posed by toxic shock syndrome

Raising awareness: Lauren now wants to tell her story and inform women of the dangers posed by toxic shock syndrome 

Find out the causes and symptoms of toxic shock syndrome

Lauren said that she did not realize that she could still get TSS today, though the condition still affects around one in 100,000 people. By filing suit, the family's legal team also wants to create awareness about the use of synthetic materials throughout the tampon industry, and to make women aware of the dangers of TSS.

In the fall, Lauren hopes to appear in front of Congress with New York Representative Carolyn Maloney. Ms. Maloney is trying to pass the Robin Danielson Act, named after a woman who died of TSS in 1998, that would 'establish a program of research regarding the risks posed by the presence of dioxin, synthetic fibers, chemical fragrances, and other components of feminine hygiene products'.

Lauren said that for a long time, she felt like the four walls were prison, and it took her a long time to come to grips with her new identity. 'You live your whole life and think, "I'm an athlete" or "I'm a pretty girl" but this was something physical that I had no control over,' she told Vice.

'It took me a while to figure out if I was still worthy, if I was still pretty,' she admitted, adding that if she had known she could still get TSS, she never would have used tampons in the first place. 

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