There have been several recent reports of prosthetic arms and legs being stolen. In April, Utah’s Deseret News published an article titled “Avid climber’s prosthetic leg stolen out of his car,” and in February, Colorado’s Summit Daily published an article titled “$40K in gear, prosthetic limbs stolen from Adaptive Action Sports in Copper.” Last year, a 4-year-old boy’s prosthesis was stolen during a visit to a beach.
Although you might think that no one would steal prosthetic limbs that are made especially for you and offer no functional benefit to them or anyone else, these thefts do occur. Some thieves believe that they can sell or trade the prostheses, and others want to keep them as novelty items. Unfortunately, their theft could cause you major problems and cost you thousands of dollars.
When you’re not using your prostheses, keep your eyes on them, have someone watch them for you, or lock them up in a safe place. Never leave them lying around unattended where thieves can see them. If you do, you may never see them again.
