In 2006, nine students and staff at Taylor University left in a van together, but another vehicle hit them. The terrible accident took the life of a student – Whitney Cerak, who was pronounced dead, and her family began the complicated healing process.
In the same truck that day, there was another student named Laura Van Ryn, she escaped alive, but ended up in hospital with serious injuries, her condition was critical and she ended up in a coma. The family stayed at her head for a month, but in the end, it was clear to everyone: Laura was not Laura!
It turned out that the woman they thought Laura was was actually Whitney – the woman who had been pronounced dead. These two girls looked so much alike that not even their families could tell the difference between them.
Laura’s parents began to suspect something when the girl yawned and her teeth looked different. Then they noticed that the girl they thought was their daughter had an earring in her navel, which was not the case for Laura. When she recovered, the doctors asked her to write her name on a piece of paper, and the girl wrote Whitney, not Laura. Laura’s family was devastated.
From the tragic confusion, the family did not disclose the details but then decided to make their story public. Deeply religious, Laura’s parents now thank God that, despite the tragedy, they had the power to resume their lives. But imagine what a shock it was for the other family to find out that the daughter they had buried was ALIVE!
Laura’s father, Don, says, “Even in pain, there can be joy, and even in tragedy there can be joy.” We can only be inspired by the strength and courage of Laura’s family.
Here is a video about this story: