--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My left leg had to be amputated from…" description: "\"My left leg had to be amputated from below the knee immediately to prevent gangrene from setting in. I was losing blood alarmingly. Here I was informed..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4da/arunima-sinha-15705_ahead_my-left-leg-had-to-be-amputated-from-bel_1387034.jpg" --- # My left leg had to be amputated from below the knee… ![“My left leg had to be amputated from below the knee immediately to prevent gangrene from setting in. I was losing blood alarmingly. Here I was informed that the hospital was out of anaesthesia. With no choice, I instructed them to go ahead with the amputation. The limb was sawed off while I was…” quote by Arunima Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4da/arunima-sinha-15705_ahead_my-left-leg-had-to-be-amputated-from-bel_1387034.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4da/arunima-sinha-15705_ahead_my-left-leg-had-to-be-amputated-from-bel_1387034.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4da/arunima-sinha-15705_ahead_my-left-leg-had-to-be-amputated-from-bel_1387034.jpg) > “My left leg had to be amputated from below the knee immediately to prevent gangrene from setting in. I was losing blood alarmingly. Here I was informed that the hospital was out of anaesthesia. With no choice, I instructed them to go ahead with the amputation. The limb was sawed off while I was fully conscious.” [Arunima Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arunima-sinha/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She faced a life‑threatening medical emergency, chose to endure extreme pain rather than die, and survived a conscious amputation. **In simple terms:** She chose survival over comfort, enduring pain to live. Key Takeaway Courage can outweigh physical suffering. Themes courage survival pain determination Mood determined reflective intense Type personal survival ethical When to use this quote - emergency surgery - critical care - patient consent - trauma recovery Key Concepts medical ethics human resilience bodily autonomy Questions to Reflect On - What would you do if faced with unbearable pain for survival? - How do we balance patient autonomy with medical responsibility? A Different Perspective The narrative omits the broader systemic failures that led to the anesthesia shortage. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choice/) [Hospital](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hospital/) ## Related quotes > [I once treated a 24-year-old construction worker who had scraped his leg but could not afford to take off work. By the time I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leana-s-wen/i-once-treated-a-24-year-old-construction-worker-who-had-scraped-his/) [Leana S. Wen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leana-s-wen/) > [I almost had to have my leg amputated because of an infection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-dale/i-almost-had-to-have-my-leg-amputated-because-of-an-infection/) [Dick Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-dale/) > [I was very close to having my whole leg amputated. It was a life-altering event. It took years of rehab.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-williams/i-was-very-close-to-having-my-whole-leg-amputated-it-was-a-life/) [Jay Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-williams/) > [So someday in the near future hopefully rather than having a foot or a leg amputated we'll just give you an injection of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lanza/so-someday-in-the-near-future-hopefully-rather-than-having-a-foot-or/) [Robert Lanza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lanza/) > [If a man gets drunk and goes out and breaks his leg so that it must be amputated, God will forgive him if he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-l-moody/if-a-man-gets-drunk-and-goes-out-and-breaks-his-leg-so-that-it-must/) [Dwight L. Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-l-moody/) > [If I refuse to allow my leg to be amputated, its mortification and my death may prove that I was wrong; but if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/if-i-refuse-to-allow-my-leg-to-be-amputated-its-mortification-and-my/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Janie’s hip buzzes again. Maybe she'll have to have her whole leg amputated, she thinks sadly. That would really suck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-mcmann/janie-s-hip-buzzes-again-maybe-she-ll-have-to-have-her-whole-leg/) [Lisa McMann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-mcmann/) > [I'm amputated a couple inches above where my kneecaps were. The first set of prosthetics that I had were nothing more than a shoe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-mast/i-m-amputated-a-couple-inches-above-where-my-kneecaps-were-the-first/) [Brian Mast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-mast/) > [“Everybody's amputated in some way or another, Shiloh. We lose loved ones, cut off memories forever, end relationships. Go down paths we can't return…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-rogers-spinola/everybody-s-amputated-in-some-way-or-another-shiloh-we-lose-loved/) Jennifer Rogers Spinola > [I used to feel bad when people called me crazy, when I was on my hospital bed and planning to climb the Everest. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arunima-sinha/i-used-to-feel-bad-when-people-called-me-crazy-when-i-was-on-my/) [Arunima Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arunima-sinha/) > [When I was in the hospital, everyone was worried for me, and I realised that I had to do something in my life so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arunima-sinha/when-i-was-in-the-hospital-everyone-was-worried-for-me-and-i-realised/) [Arunima Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arunima-sinha/) > [The death of a beloved is an amputation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-death-of-a-beloved-is-an-amputation/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“As he defended the book one evening in the early 1980s at the Carnegie Endowment in New York, I knew that some of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/as-he-defended-the-book-one-evening-in-the-early-1980s-at-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Calf love doesn't usually survive amputation, Your Majesty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-whalen-turner/calf-love-doesn-t-usually-survive-amputation-your-majesty/) [Megan Whalen Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-whalen-turner/) > [“Melvin Brands took bread, and the foot, wrapped in camphored cloth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-berry/melvin-brands-took-bread-and-the-foot-wrapped-in-camphored-cloth/) [Julie Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-berry/) ## More by Arunima Sinha > [But I didnt feel like an invalid even for a second. I knew that I could never be the player that I was, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arunima-sinha/but-i-didnt-feel-like-an-invalid-even-for-a-second-i-knew-that-i/) [Arunima Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arunima-sinha/) > [Everyone in my family enjoys sports and I was naturally athletic as a child. I have been cycling since I can remember, had previously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arunima-sinha/everyone-in-my-family-enjoys-sports-and-i-was-naturally-athletic-as-a/) [Arunima Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arunima-sinha/) > [I have already done seven highest peaks. Now, I want to open a sports academy for children, people with disability and help them rise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arunima-sinha/i-have-already-done-seven-highest-peaks-now-i-want-to-open-a-sports/) [Arunima Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arunima-sinha/) > [If god closes one door, he opens 10 other doors. I believe Im alive today to achieve something. 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In May 2011, I made the decision and by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arunima-sinha/i-chose-to-climb-everest-because-i-thought-it-was-the-toughest-thing/) [Arunima Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arunima-sinha/) > [Ever since I lost my limb and started walking with a prosthetic leg, I had been working only on my goal of conquering the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arunima-sinha/ever-since-i-lost-my-limb-and-started-walking-with-a-prosthetic-leg-i/) [Arunima Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arunima-sinha/) > [On a mountain covered with ice, the sharp points in front of your shoes help cling and climb. But on Carstensz Pyramid, I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arunima-sinha/on-a-mountain-covered-with-ice-the-sharp-points-in-front-of-your/) [Arunima Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arunima-sinha/) > [They say our lives are scripted in advance. 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I am not among them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-schatz/anybody-who-thinks-that-they-should-lead-the-country-should-go-ahead/) [Brian Schatz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-schatz/) > [If I have a problem with somebody, I go ahead and say what's on my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nico-hulkenberg/if-i-have-a-problem-with-somebody-i-go-ahead-and-say-what-s-on-my-mind/) [Nico Hulkenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nico-hulkenberg/) > [I once invested in a risky business. Quite a few people warned me not to do so, but I still went ahead and invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautam-rode/i-once-invested-in-a-risky-business-quite-a-few-people-warned-me-not/) [Gautam Rode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautam-rode/) > [“What lies behind us is nothing compared to what lies within us and ahead of us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-covey/what-lies-behind-us-is-nothing-compared-to-what-lies-within-us-and/) [Stephen R. Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-covey/) > [In Life, We May Never Get The Same Opportunity Again, But There's Always Something Better Ahead...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/in-life-we-may-never-get-the-same-opportunity-again-but-there-s/) Pacifiersucker > [Makeup is only fun if it's occasional and capricious - just like it's a treat to have an empty day ahead, but it wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-coren-mitchell/makeup-is-only-fun-if-it-s-occasional-and-capricious-just-like-it-s-a/) [Victoria Coren Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-coren-mitchell/) > [There is no such thing as disposable time if you want to stay ahead of the game](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-no-such-thing-as-disposable-time-if-you-want-to-stay-ahead/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm the kind of guy who comes home and checks scores for everything. I'm a sports fan in general, so I pretty much keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chadwick-boseman/i-m-the-kind-of-guy-who-comes-home-and-checks-scores-for-everything-i/) [Chadwick Boseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chadwick-boseman/) > [People are flying you places in business class. Everyone wants to take pictures of you and find out information about you. It's a freak-out.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yolandi-visser/people-are-flying-you-places-in-business-class-everyone-wants-to-take/) [Yolandi Visser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yolandi-visser/) > [I wasn't putting my all into it and I was still managing to score goals, and that gave me something to dream about, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gray/i-wasn-t-putting-my-all-into-it-and-i-was-still-managing-to-score/) [Andre Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gray/) > [There's no limit to what you can accomplish, but there's always someone one step ahead of you, so it's a constant uphill battle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-mary-stewart/there-s-no-limit-to-what-you-can-accomplish-but-there-s-always/) [Catherine Mary Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-mary-stewart/) > [I was never bothered about my position in the industry. If I had believed in it, I wouldn't have allowed anyone to get ahead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dharmendra/i-was-never-bothered-about-my-position-in-the-industry-if-i-had/) [Dharmendra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dharmendra/) > [I don't want to look too far ahead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jofra-archer/i-don-t-want-to-look-too-far-ahead/) [Jofra Archer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jofra-archer/) > [“one who takes the first step always remains one step ahead”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabi-shaheen/one-who-takes-the-first-step-always-remains-one-step-ahead/) Rabi Shaheen > [I am not interested to sing in Bollywood. I sing for only those actors whom I admire. I sing free of cost for them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yo-yo-honey-singh/i-am-not-interested-to-sing-in-bollywood-i-sing-for-only-those-actors/) [Yo Yo Honey Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yo-yo-honey-singh/) Browse all 1,773 Ahead quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My left leg had to be amputated from below the knee immediately to prevent gangrene from setting in. I was losing blood alarmingly. Here I was informed that the hospital was out of anaesthesia. With no choice, I instructed them to go ahead with the amputation. 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