SOUTH BEND — How could anyone be that low? It's a question that has people shaking their heads, after someone stole a South Bend man's prosthetic legs.

Joseph Kopinski, 68, the son of former St. Joseph County Probate Judge Frank Kopinski, had both his legs amputated after he was diagnosed with diabetes.

Last month, Kopinski, a U.S. Army veteran who served in the Korean war, was fitted with two new, artificial limbs. Now, the limbs are nowhere to be found, after someone stole them from Kopinski's car while it was parked inside his garage in an alley in the 2900 block of Lincolnway West in South Bend.

It's another blow for Kopinski, who says just making it through the day, every day is a challenge.

"I got these here that I take every night," Kopinski said, pointing to a line of nearly a dozen bottles from the pharmacy sitting on his counter.

"Some are for pain, some are for my blood sugar," he trailed off.

Kopinski was diagnosed with Type II diabetes five years ago, and like his hero, Chicago Cubs legend Ron Santo, both of his legs are now amputated. His left leg was amputated in 2004. His right leg followed in 2006.

Both amputations are above the knee, making recovery, and the selection of artificial limbs that much more difficult.

Kopinski's life is now driven by an electric scooter. In some cases, where ramps aren't present, or uneven pavement is, Kopinski isn't driven at all.

"It's not easy to be like this," he said, while pushing his body off the scooter, and onto a bed in his living room.

The first floor of Kopinski's home is now the only part he sees.

Last month, Kopinski thought all that would change.

After years of waiting, he learned he would finally be fitted with two new state of the art prosthetic limbs, at a cost of $2,500 each.

He went to the Veteran's Administration Hospital in Fort Wayne, and the limbs arrived a few weeks later.

He hoped they would someday help him walk again. And they did. But it wasn't an overnight change.

Kopinski was still learning how to use the new limbs when he and his neighbor got in Kopinski's Chevy Blazer, and headed to St. Joseph Regional Medical Center for his Monday rehab session.

But when the two pulled up and got out of the car, the limbs were nowhere to be found.

"I says, well, they should be in the back seat," said Kopinski. "We left them in there because I was supposed to go practice with them that day. So, I left them sitting in [the car] in the garage. [We] got down to the hospital, and, no legs!"

Kopinski had no idea where the limbs could be.

"They were in two nice, blue bags, fully covered. Weighed about 15 pounds each. I said, well, they're not here. And he said, 'you stay here,' and he went back home and looked for them," Kopinski said.

That's when Kopinski says his friend discovered he'd left the garage door open when he went to mow Joe's lawn earlier that day.

The reality of what had happened to the limbs suddenly hit like a ton of bricks.

"I couldn't believe it. I could not believe it," repeated Kopinski. "I said, how could anyone be that low?"

But what's truly amazing about the heist?

Inside the garage, right next to the Blazer, sit lawn tools, gardening supplies, and other items with plenty of "pawn shop value," as Kopinski put it.

Not a single bit of it was stolen.

"That's not uncommon," said South Bend Police Captain Phil Trent. "People often go 'shopping' for something, maybe looking for personal electronics or sporting goods items."

But do they look for prosthetic limbs?

"That's a first. I've never heard of anything like this before," said Trent.

It's left investigators, and Kopinski with only conclusion:

"They probably had absolutely no idea what they were stealing," said Trent. "They have absolutely no street value."

"They're fitted for me," agreed Kopinski. "And, come on, how many people you know with no legs? You couldn't sell that in a pawn shop."

It's one reason why Kopinski is holding out hope that whoever took the limbs might do the right thing, and return them.

He's so hopeful, he's even paying to run a "lost and found" advertisement in the South Bend Tribune, hoping someone saw something that would lead to their return.

Because the alternative could mean yet another door closed on his dream of walking again.

"[If I have to pay for this out of pocket,] no way. No way," he said. "I don't have the money."

Still, there is one thing that could keep that door open: insurance.

Kopinski says he's called his insurance company, but hasn't heard back yet on whether his policy will cover replacement limbs.

His last option, he says, will be to go back to the V.A. Hospital and hope they'll agree to cover a new pair of limbs.

But above all, he'd simply like the original limbs back. That's why he's offering a reward for their safe return, no questions asked.

"They're not doing anybody any good. Whoever took them, they don't need them. Well, I do."