(WOIO) – If you were blessed to know Susie Mettler, you already know she’s a very independent young lady.

Susie was a recent Perry High School graduate with honors. She was a talented athlete, with a great sense of humor, and a love for her animals.

Unfortunately, she passed over the Fourth of July holiday, leaving the Perry community heartbroken, but inspired to never give up.

“She wants the world to know just how wonderful life is, and how strong she is, and how strong she wants them to be,” said Susie's mom, Tina Mettler.

A sledding accident last December left Susie a quadriplegic. 19 Action News reporter, Scott Taylor, met her as she was falling in love with a charity in northeast Ohio called Wags4Kids, which gives service dogs to children in need.

Susie was in a wheelchair for seven months. But after meeting her, you didn’t see the chair, all you saw was an excited young lady looking forward to her new dog, and accomplishing goals to be more independent.

“A week before she died, she did five laps in her manual wheelchair on her own at the CFC. She called me and said, ‘Mom! I did five laps by myself. I can do this,'” recalled Tina.

Susie said she wanted to be a motivational speaker. She already had a following, including young kids in Perry she had spoken to and inspired earlier this year. She spent time motivating others in rehab, and a lot of time with her family and her animals.

We will all miss Susie, but she continues to inspire all of us.

“You will never find a picture where she is not smiling. She would always say “Go Big or Go Home,'” said Tina.

If you would like to make a donation to Susie’s favorite charity, Wags 4 Kids, in her memory, go to theirFacebook page.

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