News, views and top stories in your inbox. Don't miss our must-read newsletter Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

When faced with having part of their leg amputated, most people would be concerned about what their life was going to be like from now on.

But one woman is more worried about what will happen to the missing part of her.

A 55-year-old named Joan has revealed that she doesn't want her leg to go to waste, so she's come up with a rather unusual plan to ensure that her missing limb is useful, even when it's no longer attached to her body.

(Image: Sewport.com)

Joan, who lives in Manchester, got in touch with sewport.com, a website that helps people find unique services to suit their needs.

In this case, Joan is on the look out for someone who can transform the skin from her amputated leg into a "beautiful" handbag - and yes, she knows it's an "odd and gross" thing to do.

She said: "It's looking very likely that I'm going to have my lower left leg amputated soon (I have peripheral arterial disease) and I was reading about the human waste scandal where they just dumped body parts in a dump to rot and I don't want that to happen to me.

"I was chatting to a friend about leather and how it's essentially just treated animal skin and I had a light bulb moment - can I use my amputated leg to create something beautiful and useful?

"I'm finding out whether I can keep my leg after the surgery and the discussions have been positive so far, so fingers crossed!"

She went on to explain that if she does get to keep the leg, she'd like to have a professional lined up to make it into a bag - and she knows exactly what she wants it to look like.

"I'm thinking it will be a medium sized bag with a short strap and a section down the middle that will be made with my skin and the rest will be made with another material," she continued.

"I think a handbag is the most logical route to go down, it's basically the same as a leather handbag but this one is with my skin, it belongs to me so why not?"

Joan provided a few sketches of what she envisioned the bag to look like and revealed she was willing to pay £3,000 to see her creation come to life.

However she wants it all to be handled privately, as her family "aren't exactly happy" about her idea.

She added; "I know it's a bit odd and gross and some might think I'm crazy, but it's my leg, and I can't bare the thought of it being left to rot somewhere.

"It's part of me and I want to keep it."