PHOENIX (KPHO/KTVK)– As 72-year-old John French went flying through the air while skydiving over Maricopa three months ago, so did his prosthetic leg.
“My leg went ‘deeeeer,’ down it went! So I thought it was gone forever,” French said.
He hasn’t been able to do much walking since then…until now.
He just got this fancy new prosthetic leg, complete with a laminated space-galaxy theme.
“I feel great in the leg. I’m like, look at this baby!” said French. “Probably after this show I’ll be popular.”
French said he has even better mobility than before, and this time, he got his prosthetic leg with a lock so that he can’t lose it again.
But shortly after he got his replacement leg, he got an unexpected surprise from Sky Dive Phoenix on Father’s Day.
“I get a knock at the door and this guy says, ‘Well, I wanted to bring it to you on Father’s Day,’ and he shows me the leg and I’m freaking out!” French said.
It turns out a man who lives near the sky dive facility found French’s lost prosthetic leg and asked the sky dive instructors if anyone had lost a leg recently.
French was shocked they were able to find it in the middle of the desert, but even more surprised to find it in near perfect condition.
“I’ve had this thing for years, and it was a part of me. To have it come back to me…I was like, wow!” French said.
So now…“I actually have three legs!” French said while laughing.
He said not only can he get back to running, but also plans to get his groove on.
“I just kind of shake my butt and spin around like this. That’s what I do for dancing,” French said.
This time, he’s hoping to break a leg on the dance floor without actually breaking his leg.
French said he hopes his story reminds people to live life to the fullest. He is still battling a terminal disease and says he plans to live the rest of his life having fun, and continuing to party.
