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Monday, 22 September 2014 - 16:03
Amputee's Leg Lamp sells for €100,000
Leo Bolten, who had his amputated leg turned into a lamp, is selling his leg lamp on the Internet for 100 thousand euros.
Bonten's right leg had to be amputated earlier this year. He refused to give up his leg and instead had it turned into a lamp with the help of a pathologist and lamp maker.
Bonten says he is forced to sell his leg lamp as he is in a difficult financial situation. "It's bad. Soon I won't even have a home where I can put the lamp."
Earlier this year Bonten participated in the SBS show "Geld maakt gelukkig" and won 6,800 euros. He used that money to pay off old debts, but now hardly has any money to provide for his livelihood. The asking price for the leg lamp of 100 thousand euros is on the high side, but negotiable.
The sale of the lamp evokes mixed feelings in the people who helped Leo Bonten realize his dream for free. Lamp maker Willem Schäperkötter worked on the project for two weeks, he says. "I am surprised. He wanted his leg to be made into a lamp because he could not say goodbye. I thought that he would maybe want to sell the lamp in a few years, when he has processed the amputation completely. I did not expect it to happen so soon."