Prosthetic Leg Lost at Sea Returns After 10 Months

When Brenda Ogden lost her brand new prosthetic leg to the ocean, she thought her swimming days were over forever.

The 69-year-old retired nurse from Bridlington, England, was hit by a wave during her first swim with the custom-made waterproof limb last April. The £3,000 prosthetic was swept away into the North Sea, and despite days of searching the shoreline with friends, it never turned up.

Her swimming club, the Flamborough Flippers, launched a GoFundMe to replace it. They even joked that if the leg miraculously reappeared, they'd donate everything to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. But the campaign only raised £800, far short of what she needed, and Brenda hasn't been able to swim since.

Then on Monday, fossil hunter Lizzie Forbes was walking along Atwick beach when she spotted something strange among the rocks. At first, she panicked, wondering where the rest of the person was. Once she realized it was a prosthetic leg, she snapped a photo and posted it on social media.

Within hours, the post reached people who recognized it as Brenda's missing limb. The leg had traveled 12 miles south from where it was lost, surviving 10 months in the ocean.

Sunny's Take

Lizzie rushed back at low tide to retrieve the leg, and a friend of Brenda's is now cleaning and repairing it. The two women have been chatting on Facebook Messenger and can't wait to meet in person.

Brenda lost her left leg below the knee after a car accident in 2021. She has a daily walking leg and a running blade, but had the waterproof leg specially made so she could walk into the sea before taking it off to swim with her club.

"I am amazed it has turned up after all that time," Brenda said. "What are the chances? From the photos I have seen it looks OK, so hopefully I will be able to swim with it soon."

Lizzie is thrilled to have helped reunite Brenda with her independence. "I am made up and so pleased for Brenda," she said. "I am really looking forward to meeting her so I can see the face that matches the leg."

After nearly a year grounded from the activity she loves, Brenda will soon rejoin the Flamborough Flippers in the water where she belongs.