What Drives People to Want to Be Amputees?

The ordeal has left her crippled but unbowed in her quest for an amputation, and Lilly said she has no explanation as to why.

Her husband, George, continues to help her. "It is difficult because it's not a normal thing to do," he said. "It is her body and she's gonna do it. I'd rather be there and make sure that no one gets more hurt, and that she doesn't lose her life doing it."

Today Lilly, Dan and Karl all chat on the Internet occasionally, though Karl's story has taken a sobering turn.

Karl said his obsession with losing a limb did not end with his double amputation. But he said he finally lost his desire to also remove his left hand after an intense regime of therapy and anti-depressants.

For a man remarkably at home in his wheelchair, there is a hint of regret. There are places the wheelchair can't take him, like to the beach to feel the sand under his feet.

"It's all those little things, like that," Karl said. "What the hell was I thinking?"