Husband loses wife’s prosthetic leg while getting paper

A woman is appealing for help to find her $4500 prosthetic leg which was lost on the Gold Coast by her husband following an unfortunate error.

Joy and Cronin are holidaying on the Gold Coast. Picture: Jerad Williams

A WOMAN lost a leg on the Gold Coast Highway — and now she wants it back.

Tourist Joy Cronin lost her prosthetic limb at the weekend when her husband drove off not knowing it was resting on the bullbar of their car.

We’re not pulling your leg. It’s true.

Mrs Cronin, from Temora in NSW, is now appealing to the public to help find the $4500 piece of medical equipment.

Joy Cronin was drying off her shower leg on the car when husband John drove off to buy a newspaper. Picture: Jerad Williams

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She put the waterproof prosthetic leg on the front of the car to dry after a Sunday morning shower while camping with her husband, John, in Miami.

The leg was one of two Ms Cronin owned. One is for daily use. The one she lost is waterproof and used for showering.

“I meant to go back and get it but I didn’t think,” Mrs Cronin said.

Unaware the leg was on the front of the car after returning from his morning walk, John jumped in the driver’s seat and took off to get the newspaper.

It is believed the prosthetic may have fallen off the front of the bullbar during his journey from Miami to Burleigh.

“It was about midday when I realised what had happened,” Mrs Cronin told the Bulletin.

“We were out at Beenleigh visiting family when I thought ‘oh my god it is missing’.”

Mrs Cronin is appealing to the public for help to find the leg.

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The pair spent the rest of the day retracing their steps, but to no avail.

The couple have also been in contact with the police.

Mrs Cronin said she wasn’t mad at her husband for taking off with her limb, and was instead mad at herself.

“It is gone and I can’t do much about it,” Mrs Cronin said.

“I am very disappointed, it was a silly place to put it but I can’t turn the clock back now.”

The leg is a custom made-to-fit item which attaches to a titanium osteo-insert implanted in Mrs Cronin’s bone.

She will need another made if it is not found.

John Cronin said he felt bad about his role in losing the leg and the stress and inconvenience it had caused his wife.

“I can’t believe I didn’t see it, I didn’t even hear a thing,” Mr Cronin said.
“We think maybe it rolled off into the bushes in the median strip.

“If we don’t find it, it is going to be a pretty expensive holiday.”

The family have a post on the Gold Coast Community Facebook page which can be used if anyone has any information about the missing item.