Lauren Wasser

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

I just really love wearing shorts!

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

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

My legs were my life.