Actress Susan Peters (born #OnThisDay) was paralyzed in a hunting accident on January 1, 1945. While we may look at her story as a tragic one, it's important to note the many ways she proved her resiliency and strength.

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The accident occured when Peters was removing a .22 caliber rifle from a bush and a branch caught on the trigger sending a round off into her abdomen and spine. The doctors told her she would never walk again but she remained hopeful.

Peters was determined to be independent. She surprised her husband Richard Quine when she showed up with a brand new hand-operated car.

Peters also took flying lessons. It's not known how far she got in her training or if she earned a pilot's license.

In 1946, Peters and Quine adopted an 11 month old baby boy they named Timothy Richard Quine. Laraine Day, her co-star in Keep Your Powder Dry, threw her a baby shower to celebrate.

Peters' close friend Lucille Ball encouraged her to get back to work. Peters herself was quoted as saying “I’m the most expensive luxury I know. Anyhow, I’m not happy unless I’m working.”

Susan Peters kept busy recording Lux Radio broadcasts and writing a column about her famous Hollywood friends for Photoplay magazine.

Her actor friend Charles Bickford brought Peters a copy of The Sign of the Ram, Margaret Ferguson's best-selling novel. The main character was the perfect villainess character for Peters to play. This was a total departure from her previous roles and Peters welcomed the challenge

Peters' agent negotiated with retired director Irving Cummings to produce the project and for Columbia Pictures to give Peters 33% of the film's profits. Columbia had a custom wheelchair built for her which was upholstered to compliment with her Jean Louis styled wardrobe.

Susan Peters had previously been with MGM who kept her on the roster after her accident. She said “MGM kept sending me Pollyanna scripts about crippled girls who were sweetness and light, which I kept turning down. Two years after my accident, I gave up and broke my contract."

The Sign of the Ram was Susan Peters' last film but it wasn't the last acting project. She performed in off Broadway productions and starred in a 15 minute live televised show for NBC called Miss Susan. She played a small-town lawyer and the show ran for 210 episodes.

Susan Peters died on October 23, 1952 at the age of 31. Her health had deteriorated to the point that her body started to shut down. She technically died of a kidney infection, bronchial pneumonia and anorexia but her doctor also surmised that she lost the will to live. God speed

I have an article about Susan Peters that will be going live this weekend on the TCM Tumblr blog. I'll add a tweet to this thread once it's up!

The Sign of the Ram (1948) airs on @TCM tomorrow July 4th and Sunday July 5th! http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/27534/The-Sign-of-the-Ram/