In 2013, a morning run turned into a life-changing fight for Lauren Murphy's life.
Murphy, now a motivational speaker, will share her story of surviving and recovering from a traumatic brain injury Wednesday at William Woods University.
Her lecture, which is free and open to the public, is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Cutlip Auditorium.
On April 19, 2013, Murphy was out for a morning run while staying in Los Angeles on business when she was hit by a car and suffered a traumatic brain injury.
She was admitted to a local hospital, where she remained in critical condition for several weeks.
At first, her parents were told she had a slim chance of surviving.
She survived the initial crisis, but her brain damage was such that doctors said she most likely would not be able to feed herself, walk, talk or understand spoken words.
Over the past five years, she has heroically worked to prove the experts wrong, a WWU news release stated.
Battling through multiple brain surgeries, therapies and countless hours of rehab, Murphy continues to inspire thousands through her determination, work ethic and "never-quit attitude" while working toward regaining as much of her former life as possible.
She now maintains a busy schedule of speech therapy, physical therapy and public speaking.