"To lose" and "to abandon"

There is such a story that during the Vietnam War, a wounded soldier woke up on the operating table, and the military doctor told him: "You will be fine after a period of rest, but there is an unfortunate news that you have lost one leg." However, the soldier protested to the doctor: "No, my leg was not lost, I threw it away myself." After reading this story, I think it is very amazing that this soldier doesn't feel disappointed about the tragic fact, instead, he accepts it with a clever psychological effect. (This article is from: www.5d1d.net)