The Story of a Survivor WARNING: The story and pictures below may be disturbing to sensitive persons. I take this opportunity to present important, yet lesser-known truths about preventable health risks to women from lack of information about tampon ingredients and use. After nearly 5 years of gathering this information, it is my opinion that the leading manufacturers of tampons are well aware that many women will become gravely ill, suffer and die after using their products. It is in their power to reduce the incidence of tampon-related Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) in women. Because of its relationship to menstruation and the use of tampons, TSS has not received adequate attention from medical and government authorities, as have other fatal diseases. It is classified as a "rare" disease. This classification gives women a false sense of security about our chances of getting Toxic Shock. The truth is, that it is no more "rare" than certain forms of cancer and AIDS. Market research professionals are hired by tampon companies to find out why people buy products. The companies spend millions of dollars for "consumer surveys" and "focus groups" to find out what women think about tampons. They know very well that menstruation is a taboo topic of conversation for many people (How many of us talk about our periods with co-workers or classmates?). Strangely, we talk about perspiration, pimples, having "to go to the bathroom" and other normal bodily functions in mixed company without embarassment, while treating conversation about the miracle of female fertility as shameful. Using this kind of information has given companies power to keep potentially damaging information about their products away from people, and enables them to twist the "facts" so that most of us might never know what kinds of chances we are really taking. Women, all of us, need to think about the products that we buy, why they are (or are not) available in stores, who decides what we can buy, and the consequences of those decisions. Every dollar that we spend on products made by companies who refuse to take responsibility for problems with their products, lets these companies "get away" with creating pollution, death and suffering. Dioxin, a by-product of chlorine, is a proven killer; chlorine-treated rayon fibers are contained in all leading brands of tampons. What's really scary about this, is that dioxin also weakens the immune system, our ability to fight disease. This means that a woman with dioxin in her body who gets TSS, may have even less ability to fight the disease. All women who grow up in North America have already accumulated dioxin in the fatty tissue in their bodies. Of course, tampon companies must know this too, musn't they? Cigarette manufacturers were forced to admit that cigarettes cause death and illness only after enough people knew the facts and demanded that appropriate action be taken. Now, every package of cigarettes sold in North America has a warning about the dangers of smoking. We know that smoking is dangerous, and we can choose for ourselves whether or not we want to take that risk. The damage caused by tampons isn't so clear yet; consequently, about 90% of cases of tampon-related TSS are never diagnosed. This means that a woman can suffer or die from the disease, and neither she nor her family will ever really know why. This story is about the miracle of a mother and daughter's continuing struggle to survive the effects of this deadly disease. It offers the reader an opportunity to see, first-hand, the real consequences of decisions to buy products from companies who care more about their shareholders than their customers. Jamie Cash: Abaco's Miracle Teenager Jamie Cash was 13 years old at the time. A happy, active teenager, she enjoyed the things that young women enjoy: music, school, friends, sports, and especially, swimming. Jamie's parents loved their daughter and her 7-year old brother; they were working hard to give their family a good life. Carrie Cash, Jamie's mother, found a business that allowed her the flexibility to be there for her children. She was proud that Jamie was an excellent swimmer with potential scholarship abilities. As a matter of fact, she was her swim coach! The family lived well, loved each other, and were happy. 
One day, Toxic Shock Syndrome changed their happy lives. At first, it seemed to be a bad flu or cold, and Jamie was to spend a few days in bed. But it got worse...Jamie became disoriented and the slightest movement caused her to feel faint as her blood pressure sank lower. A fine red rash covered her torso; her kidneys had failed. She grew weaker and weaker. Her mother rushed her by boat to the doctor. They had to call an air ambulance. The paramedics were scared; they'd never seen anything like this before. It was clear that Jamie's condition was critical. Jamie was flown to the nearest hospital, over a 100 miles away, and admitted to pediatric intensive care. Luckily, the attending doctor was aware enough of her symptoms to make a crystal-clear diagnosis: Menstrual Toxic Shock Syndrome. Every vital organ system except her brain had failed. An arsenal of drugs and life support equipment were rushed into the room to try and save Jamie's life. After a heroic 14 hour effort during which Jamie "coded" twice, the doctors brought her parents in to say goodbye. The third time Jamie "coded" there was nothing left to do. 
Fortunately for Jamie and her family, they
are born fighters. Her mother has been a dedicated activist since the 1960s.
She also knew a lot about tampon manufacturers, having formerly worked on
their advertising campaigns! Carrie Cash is not one to accept failure, or
to accept "facts" at face value; she fought for her daughter's
life then, as she continues to fight for her today. Somehow, she knew that
her family could overcome this crisis.
In sheer terror, her mother cried, "Get back here, Jamie Cash! I've never raised a quitter! This will be the longest marathon of your life, but I'll be with you every step of the way!" The first miracle of many more miracles happened - Jamie started to come back, just a little. The sense of hope felt by Jamie's family and the medical staff was bigger than their pain, shock or disbelief. They did not know that they would go through this ordeal again and again over the next three months. But they had hope. They still do. 
Although Jamie has regained much of her
former health, she will never be the same. Now, she, her friends and family
have to be incredibly careful about her health. Toxic Shock Syndrome has
robbed her of the full use of her body and she is still occasionally rushed
to the hospital with one or another threatening condition; the last time
I heard about, it was mononucleosis. Other times .... the list goes on and
on...Jamie has been regularly suffering
health problems related to Toxic Shock four years later!
The suffering of the Cash family could have been prevented. They are not to blame for what happened. The blame lies with the tampon companies and decision makers who continue to allow the conspiracy of silence about the true health risks from tampons: rayon, chlorine, dioxin, additives, absorbency enhancers, applicators, the risks of tampon use in certain sports activities - the list goes on and on. (For more information about health risks and tampons, please see our web page Tampons and Health.) Women need to hear the truth, all the truth, right now, before one more woman dies an unnecessary death at the hands of the blind and greedy people who run these companies. It's high time that the companies and the "nameless bureaucrats" who have been allowing this deception to continue came clean, wouldn't you say? And I'd say it's a safe bet that, like other big corporations that spend a lot of money covering up their "dirty secrets" (remember the cigarette companies?), they won't tell the truth until they're forced to. At the time of this writing, a tampon company is advertising that it's safe to use tampons overnight, "up to 8 hours." I've heard that they will spend over $60 million dollars in one year to sell this message to women. They, like you and I, know that many young women (young women are at highest risk of Toxic Shock) will sleep much longer than 8 hours if they're given a chance. They also know that it's safer for a woman not to use tampons at all, or if she does, for no longer than 3 to 6 hours. But advertising these kinds of facts won't sell as many tampons, will it? Besides, women are told they can "trust" tampons. Mothers, daughters, sisters, friends - let's get those companies, their advertising and their dangerous tampons out of our lives right now! Tell the store managers that those tampons are dangerous, that what they're buying is destroying women's lives and the environment; tell them that women can sue stores for selling products that have harmed them (and have!). Tell them that one woman's suffering and death from toxic tampons is too many. Let's speak freely about our periods, about the pollution and it's effects on our health, and tell all the women we know to do the same.And let's speak really loudly about companies that treat lawsuits from victims of their products as a "cost of doing business." You've heard the story of one family's suffering with the disease. The Cash family is intact; Jamie lives. Sadly, other women have died, some that we know about (see references to research). But there have been some women whose doctors weren't taught enough about TSS in medical books. We'll never know about those women. We have the power to stop the manufacturers from taking chances with our lives - we can tell the truth. We can keep telling it. And we can stop buying their products. In health,
Willi Nolan
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