His spirits are oddly high, actually; they were after he came out of the hospital yesterday, at least, despite the trauma he felt immediately after the news that he was a toe down. He was joking about it, even, saying that at least he had nine toes left. But I suspect it's one of those things that'll hit him a coupla weeks later if it doesn't in a few days.
It's too bad about the toe. It's even more terrible a tragedy in light of his talent in running. It was strange that you mentioned this because on Thursday I was involved in a legal case where the claimant lost his four fingers on the left hand (he is left hand dominant) in a meat slicer. He was an artist, who apparently co-owned an art gallery in the Dominican Republic. He'll never paint again.
The high spirits of your friend are seemingly peculiar, but his reaction is not all that uncommon. I've dealt with quite a few cases involving amputations, and doctors have explained that frequently a cheerful psychological reaction follows a loss of digit or limb. It seems misplaced to an unattached Observer (no pun intended), but I'm told that the peculiar upbeat mood is the mind's way of healing the lost member. I've had cases where the insurance company covering the loss of the finger/hand was so put off by the cheerfulness of the claimant that they volunteered to pay for psychiatric treatment. It's really strange.
