Dolly Parton’s Mom Once Had to Sew Her Toes Back On
Dolly Parton isn't shy about sharing the adversities she faced as a child, but there's one story involving her almost losing three of her toes that is particularly stirring.
While sitting down with Dr. Oz, the legendary country star tells the story of how when she was about six or seven years old, she accidentally cut three of her toes on a broken mason jar, to the point where they were almost falling off. Growing up in poverty in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee, Parton's mother, Avie Lee Owens, had to be as resourceful as she could --- so she performed an unorthodox surgery on her daughter to save her foot that involved cornmeal, sewing needles and her brothers and father holding her down.
“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," Parton explains.
The "Jolene" singer relived many of her childhood memories in the made-for-TV films Coat of Many Colors and Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love, which aired on NBC in 2015 and 2016, respectively. The films showcase Parton's life growing up and the struggles she and her family experienced.
Parton got to perform with her longtime friend and collaborator Kenny Rogers one last time when the two united for a final performance of their legendary hit "Islands in the Stream" at Rogers' farewell show in Nashville on Oct. 25.
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