What started out as an “urban legend” in the ’80s or earlier, namely, toxic shock syndrome through the use (or overuse) of tampons, is now a well-chronicled ailment.

One shapely model, in fact, is missing her right leg, allegedly to TSS.

Lauren Wasser almost lost her life in 2012 in a severe illness she blames on a tampon, with a lawsuit now pending.

“I was in a really dark place and I didn’t think that I could go on,” the California native told the magazine People. “Honestly, I just accepted that this is my life maybe a month or two ago.”

She was hospitalized for four months and battled gangrene, severe damage to her left foot and a below-the-knee amputation of her right leg.

Wasser recently publicized her story in a bid to encourage other amputees to not give up on life.

“I was so ashamed of my leg. I was so embarrassed and I didn’t know how people were going to react because the old Lauren didn’t have these flaws.”

She’s also vocal about educating girls and women about the potential risks of using tampons.

People even quotes a medical expert on the subject. Dr. Patrick M. Schlievert, a professor and chair of the department of microbiology at Carver College of Medicine who has worked on 8,000 TSS cases, said the best way for women to reduce their risk is by using the lowest absorbency tampon that controls their menstrual flow and changing them every 4 to 8 hours.

“You can never get rid of the risk but you can reduce it as low as possible by using the lowest absorbency,” he says. “The majority of woman are going to be safe using those tampons.”