MADISON, Wis. -- Four years after a terrible accident left her paralyzed, a survivor now says it was a blessing in disguise.

Monica Forgues was in one of the deadliest crashes in state history, as seven young magazine subscription sellers were killed near Janesville. Five others, including Forgues, were seriously injured.

Forgues was 15 years old when she woke up in the hospital and instantly knew she was paralyzed. While Forgues has worked to get movement back into her hands, she takes ongoing medical setbacks in stride. More important, the 19-year-old says she's happy.

"My accident was a blessing in disguise," Forgues told News 3's Linda Eggert. "It stopped me from doing all the things that would have hurt me. So now I don't do them anymore."

The things that hurt her included being a runaway and hanging out with the wrong people. Forgues says that's all in her past. Her future is the focus now. Thursday, she gets her GED and graduates from high school.

Her mother, Nancy Ashton, is bursting with pride.

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"She's accomplished a lot," Ashton said. "(She's) been through a lot of obstacles to get where she's going (Thursday) night."

Forgues will grab a cap and gown and join 87 other Omega School graduates. The school's director, Oscar Mireles, calls her a tough kid.

"She's had some ups and downs on the way through, but she really pulled through in the end," Mireles said. "I'm very proud of her. I think she's very strong willed."

"That's what everybody says, but I don't see how," Forgues replied.

Her mother disagrees, and is looking forward to the graduation ceremony.

"I'm going to have a lot of tears," Ashton said. "But they're tears of hapiness, not tears of sadness."

This fall, Forgues hopes to enroll in Madison Area Technical College to learn Web design and computers.