Losing a leg would probably be up there with the most devastating things imaginable. Luckily for us, Leo Bonten decided not to mope around about his leg. He used it to create what some would call a piece of art or furniture… depending on how you look at it.
Leo Bonten broke his leg in a swimming pool accident. However the injury became so infected that it left the doctors no other choice other than to amputate it.
In an interview, Bonten stated that he was selling his leg because he wanted to buy a prosthetic leg, but his insurance deductible was too large. So he took matters into his own hands.
He was really hoping an ‘eccentric billionaire’ would purchase it, but had no such luck. CNN did an interview with Bonten and he stated that he came in contact with a pathologist by the name of Frank van de Goot. Van de Goot was able to take legal ownership of the leg after the surgery.
He was also able to preserve it. After this happened, they were able to get in contact with designer, William Schaper Kotter, agreed to help turn the leg into a lamp! Yes you read that correctly.
Bonten had the leg lamp listed on Ebay for a little over $125,000 (£78,000) but he was forced to remove it because Ebay does not allow the sale of human body parts. I hope his leg eventually finds a forever home, or maybe it’s best if it stays put with Bonten.
This kind of puts the leg lamp from A Christmas Story to shame doesn’t it? I’m not sure I would be selling something that’s been a part of me my entire life. Well until the day it was cut off!