He lost a toe, but plays on

If Mason Avey could offer one piece of advice, it would be to wear steel toe boots when mowing.

Avey learned that lesson the hard way this summer.

Two weeks before the football season, the Cloquet High School junior was mowing a small but steep hill in his front yard. He slipped on damp grass and jammed his foot into the spinning blades of the mower.

"It didn't hurt, but I had a big shock," he said.

Mason was rushed to the emergency room, to be told by doctors that his severed big toe was "not fixable."

Avey, who plays football, hockey and volleyball, has persevered. The big toe has big responsibilities for an athlete.

Cloquet High School athletic trainer Betty Roche said the big toe is used for balance and for leverage in pushing off when running.

"Coming back to their sport after an injury of that nature has a lot to do with confidence and some pain," she said. "The psychological factor is a big component."

Avey could not walk for two weeks after his accident. Still, it was early in the football season, so he had time to go to physical therapy sessions. Those sessions include many balancing exercises for his affected right leg. Jogging and running came soon after regaining balance on his leg.

"It was just as much a mental battle as a physical battle," Avey explained.

When someone loses a toe, it is not impossible to keep playing at the same level as they did before, it is just lots of work, and takes a lot of drive. In Avey's case, relearning went quickly and he possessed the drive to get his starting spot back.

Avey lost his big toe, but didn't miss a beat in his busy life. He is planning to play all the sports he played before his accident.

Find him on the starting offensive line for the Cloquet Lumberjacks this football season, and at Northwoods arena this winter.

"I'd love to shake your hand, get a picture or sign something for you," he joked about his newfound fame, before some parting advice.

"Remember to wear steel toe boots whenever you mow your lawn."