Dolly Parton's Terrible Childhood Injury Almost Cost Her Part Of Her Foot

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Dolly Parton's Terrible Childhood Injury Almost Cost Her Part Of Her Foot

Fans of Dolly Parton are no strangers to the country crooner's backstory. The singer grew up in an extremely poor household and had to work extra hard to find her way to the top.

In fact, these experiences shaped the person she became and inspired some of her biggest hits.

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"I think my childhood made me everything I am today," said Parton in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. Adding, "I would trade nothing for being brought up in the Great Smoky Mountains.

The singer has also never held back on sharing what life was like growing up in rural Tennessee.

"I've never been ashamed of my people no matter how poor or dirty we might have been," she continued. "I've always loved being from where I am, and having the folks that I've had."

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Now, there's one more story to add to the rest.

During an appearance on the Dr. Oz Show, Parton recalled the details of an incident that occurred when she was a young girl, and we can't even begin to imagine how she felt.

The 'Jolene' singer told Dr. Mehmet Oz that she sustained a foot injury so serious that she almost lost her toes. But thanks to her momma, cornmeal and kerosene, she still has them intact.

So what happened?

The legendary entertainer was "probably about six or seven" years old when an attempt to jump a fence nearly cost her part of her foot.

"I had jumped across the fence onto a broken mason jar and cut three of my toes, just my little toes on my right foot, almost off and they were just kind of hanging there," Parton recalled.

She added that due to her family's financial situation, her parents couldn't take her to a doctor so her mother, Avie Lee Owens, opted for a gruesome DIY treatment instead.

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"So they grabbed me up and all my dad and my brothers, they had to hold me down. Momma, she put cornmeal "” now, you're a doctor, you might know, I think the cornmeal was to absorb the blood," the singer explained.

She continued, "They put kerosene on it for antiseptic and momma took her sewing needles "” she used to make our quilts and stuff, and she literally had to sew my toes back on. But they worked and they healed and I'm still walking on them."

This entire experience sounds awful, but we're glad Parton's momma's trick worked because we can't even begin to imagine a world where the Grammy winner is not able to wear heels on stage.

You'll be able to watch Parton's entire interview when The Dr. OZ Show airs on Thursday.

What do you think of Parton's story? Let us know in the comments!

Blair isn't a bestselling author, but she has a knack for beautiful prose. When she isn't writing for Shared, she enjoys listening to podcasts.