On Sept. 12, 1991, Darcy Keith’s life was changed forever.

The 22 year-old Ball State University student was on her way home from Morehead State University in Morehead, Ky. with four of her sorority sisters when their car was hit from behind by a semi-tractor-trailer. The car was crushed completely by an impact so severe that the license plate of the semi-tractor was imprinted into the car’s crumpled side panel. Only the two young women in the front seat were wearing their seatbelts; they literally walked away from the accident unharmed.

Darcy was in the back seat with two of her friends, who were killed instantly. The impact of the collision with the semi forced one sister upside down against the roof of the car and broke her neck. But according to a 1991 Republican article, the last thing Darcy remembered was stopping to eat at a restaurant, and she remembered changing spots with one of the girls in the back seat to sit directly behind the driver.

That seat change would save and change her life.

Darcy remained in the critical care unit of the University of Cincinnati Hospital for 13 days with a closed-head injury, the first six days of which she was in a coma. For rehabilitation, she was moved back to Indianapolis, where she had to learn to walk and talk again, with paralysis of half of her body. But she fought her way through it.

“I never thought that a single incident would force a 22-year-old college senior to start over as a small child in every aspect imaginable,” Keith states on her Web site. “The mental, physical, and emotional injuries were indescribable. But, when I was down in the quicksand of pain, anguish, and despair, I decided that I was going to climb to solid ground through fortitude, perseverance and determination.”

When Darcy lost her two friends in the accident she also lost the ability to do the higher math associated with her major, actuarial science, forcing her to start over again in another major after rehabilitation. She received her diploma in 1993 in insurance and has worked as a commercial insurance underwriter for State Auto Insurance since 1996.

She has also added motivational speaking to her resume, lobbying Statehouse officials for tougher seat-belt laws and visiting high school classrooms to promote brain injury prevention.

She has been awarded many distinguishing honors, including the Ball State University Graduate of the Last Decade, a Fox-59 Unsung Hero Award, and a ThinkFirst VIP Speaker of the Year honor.

Among her many speaking engagements, she has addressed crowds at the Indiana Statehouse, Ohio State University, Butler University, Ball State, and several Indianapolis-area high schools and churches.

“It’s the obligation of the cured to help others,” Keith said. “My motivation to speak and assist others came from wanting to help other brain injury survivors and their families. I then realized that the message of overcoming life's challenges applies to everyone at some point. This is why I want to share my secrets of success and achieving the unimaginable in life.”

Keith has also added “published/author” to her repertoire. She will speak at the Rushville Public Library at 7 p.m. Tuesday about the book that she contributed to, “Refined by Fire: Discovering Victory Through Adversity,” as well as to sign and sell her book, which will be available for $15. She will also donate a copy of the book that evening to the library.

“Refined by Fire” represents the stories of women who have broken the bondage of addictions as well as emotional and mental barriers.

According to a press release issued by the publisher:

“It exhibits the real victory women have experienced in their troubled marriages, finances, and ministries. The sheer reality of stories you will read will refuel, heal, and empower you to pursue greater dimensions of fruitfulness and success in your life. It's encouraging to know that normal women have been able to achieve extraordinary prominence in life in the face of impossible obstacles through the power of God's Word. These women have become influential Christian speakers, entrepreneurs, pastors, and leaders. They are empowering women all over the nation to move closer to the heartbeat of God's master plan in the world today!”