Mateo Silva, 24, named his arm Gerald several years before it was removed, and had unfortunately become increasingly attached to it over time.
“I treated Gerald like a friend,” he said. “We shared many hobbies.”
His brother, Simon, said losing the arm had been particularly difficult for Mateo because of the unusual bond they had developed.
“Looking back, I guess it’s a bit weird for him to have named his arm, but they went everywhere together,” he said. “None of us could have known that a large prop axe would fall and sever their friendship.”