4 years later, no limits for young mower accident victim

PALM HARBOR (FOX 13) - She may not have the same legs as her sisters and brothers, but 6-year-old Ireland Nugent still keeps up with the pack.  She climbs trees, plays soccer and tag. Even when she stumbles, she gets right back up.

For her parents, it's a blessing to witness.

"That we could actually get to some sense of normal. I just felt like after the accident our life would never be normal again," said Ireland's father, Jerimiah Nugent.

The Nugents’ new normal began on April 10, 2013.

"We call it survivor-versary, but every year, you kind of relive it and you know, you just want the day to come and go," Jerimiah said.

Then-2-year-old Ireland ran out of her family's garage while her father was using the lawnmower.  But he couldn't hear her.  He accidentally severed her feet.

"I've got to tell you, it's hard to live in this house after the accident and being here. I have to shut my mind off to what happened and where it happened as I come into the house every day,” continued Jerimiah.

Ireland has a cabinet filled with special reminders of how far she has come.  One item on that cabinet is a teddy bear.  "It came with a wheelchair because it had a prosthetic," she explained.

And one of her first prosthetics.  "I picked Minnie Mouse because I really like her and it was really cute.”

But now, Ireland has a different Disney character on her legs. She likes the Little Mermaid, Ariel.

"Ariel is kind of like me," Ireland explained. "She sticks out and she doesn't follow everybody else. She's, like, different."

Different, yet like other kids. It's what Ireland's parents hoped for.  She participates in cheerleading, races, and even took on a rock climbing wall.

"I once climbed it up to the top without my legs on," beamed Ireland.

She said she's even stepped in to help her little brother.

"A car was driving right down the road. He was in front of it, so I grabbed him," she recalled.

Despite everything she's overcome, her father said there are still moments of heartbreaking reality.

"Every once in a while she'll say something. You can tell she wants her feet and that kind of hits you. Hard to know that you can't do that and you can't turn back the clock," said Jerimiah.

But Ireland's parents encourage her to lead a life without limits.

"We've made sure to let Ireland see that there are people out there who have disabilities who are the same, even worse. They're doing whatever they want with their life and that's the way we want her to live her life,” explained Jerimiah.

She is also seeing support from her friends at school.

"We all had to walk, but I went in a wheelchair. And all my friends, they pushed me in my wheelchair,” said Ireland.

Ireland has become an inspiration to those who don't know her personally, but follow her journey on her family's Facebook page.

"[I’m] really happy that I can make people feel good about the world,” Ireland added.