In 2005, Lauren Huxley was left for dead in a burning house. Now, her life looks very different.

It was a nightmare that unfolded one afternoon in November 2005. Eighteen-year-old Lauren Huxley, arrived at her Northmead house after her TAFE course.

It was a hot day, so she opened the French doors at the back of the house, unwittingly allowing a monster to trap her. Robert Black Farmer, a stranger and a career criminal, ambushed her.

What followed was an act of sustained, shocking cruelty. Farmer chased Lauren through her home before cornering her in the garage. There, she was savagely beaten with heavy fibro-cutters and sustained horrific injuries. The brutality didn't stop there: the attacker then tied her up with electrical cords, doused her in petrol, and went inside to set the house alight, leaving her for dead.

Watch: Lauren Huxley's story. Article continues after video.

Lauren was found by Senior Constable Danny Eid, who was drawn to the home by an uneasy feeling and the smell of petrol. He discovered her "perfectly still body" in the darkness of the garage. It was only a faint "gargling noise" that confirmed she was alive.

Rushed to Westmead Hospital, her injuries were severe — her skull was smashed and she had multiple fractures, her eye sockets were broken, and brain fluid had leaked from her nose. She was given a mere five per cent chance of survival.

But Lauren fought to survive, and now, almost two decades later, the 38-year-old woman's story of recovery, resilience, and sheer determination is being shared in a new interview on ABC's Australian Story.

After the vicious attack, Huxley spent three and a half weeks in a coma and seven months in a rehabilitation program. Having been on the brink of death, Huxley had to re-learn how to do even the most basic things, such as walking, eating and speaking.

"I can do it," Lauren said, as she proved everyone wrong.

Perhaps her greatest blessing is that she has no recollection of the attack, which she views as a mercy.

"A friend once said to me, it's like my brain is protecting me from having to relive that traumatic experience."

Today, she is determinedly living the life she was told she'd never have.

"I'm still here," she told Australian Story.

"Even with all my scars and my injuries, which I might always have, at least I'm able to do the simple things in life."

She can walk, talk, eat, drive, travel, and laugh. She no longer feels compelled to hide her scars, instead seeing them as a visible record of her victory.

Image: Getty

"I'm used to them," she said. "I guess they just show me what I've been through... I just put a bit of moisturiser on and I'm happy."

Lauren has travelled the world, works in a job in the Sydney CBD, and is now a devoted aunty to her sister Simone's daughters.

"I catch up with my friends for lunch or dinner or drinks after work," she said of her life now. "It's as normal as can be."

Yet, a fresh wave of concern has broken upon the family. Robert Black Farmer, the man who tried to end her life, is eligible for parole next year, having served 20 of his 24-year sentence.

Farmer has never admitted guilt or expressed remorse for the crime. Lauren calls him "the monster" and admits she is worried. But, once again, she faces this new hurdle with strength.

"I guess we'll just deal with that when it comes to it," she said.

While she acknowledges the injustice, Lauren's focus remains squarely on the life she rebuilt.

"I was given the worst-case scenario," she reflected, "[They] didn't think I'd ever be able to talk, walk or eat but I've been able to do all of that and more."

The ultimate triumph belongs to Lauren.

Feature Image: NSW Police.