Mirror Images Laura VanRyan & Whitney Cerak

It sounded like a movie of the week plot. A van of college kids are returning to campus and are involved in a horrific crash and two girls who look uncanny alike are mistaken for each other. Here is part of the article from the Star Tribune (June 1)

Families stunned by mistaken identities of Taylor University crash victims
Associated Press
CALEDONIA, Mich. -- Whitney Cerak and Laura VanRyn looked remarkably alike, both attractive young women with blond hair, similar facial features and the same build and height. They were together the night of April 26, returning from banquet preparations with a group from Taylor University, when a tractor-trailer slammed into their university van, peeling off the side and killing five people. Cerak's family was told their 18-year-old was among the dead. VanRyn's parents were told their 22-year-old daughter was alive but seriously injured and in a coma. The VanRyns kept vigil at the young woman's bedside for weeks, but as she gained consciousness, she began saying things that didn't make sense. This week, they discovered that the recovering patient wasn't their daughter at all. She was Whitney Cerak.

I can't imagine the pain the two families have been through the past several weeks. Whitney's parents held a funeral and thought they had said their final goodbye's, Laura's family had brought who they thought was their daughter, closer to home to be close by. Laura's family had a wonderful blog that documents their love and care for Whitney over the past 5 weeks. What a blessing that family is to Whitney and her family. From the blog, you get a feeling of a family that truly loved their daughter/sister, but who also have a strong faith. I pray that their faith may uplift them as they deal with the loss of their loved one, and also for the continued healing for Whitney.