Family in hospital vigil told: It’s not your daughter

A FAMILY mounted a vigil for weeks at the hospital bedside of a young woman they thought was their daughter, before they realised that they were the victims of a mistaken identity blunder.

The blonde-haired young woman fighting for life in the Michigan hospital after a road accident was another college student injured in the accident.

Their own daughter, Laura VanRyn, 22, was dead and had been buried.

In a tragic mix-up, one family was incorrectly told their daughter had died in the April 26 crash in Indiana, and another was erroneously informed their daughter was in a coma.

The two young women looked remarkably alike, and the one in a coma suffered facial swelling, broken bones and cuts and bruises, and was in a neck brace.

The family of Taylor University student VanRyn, 22, told of the mix-up on a web log that they had used to record detailed updates on the young woman’s recovery.

“Our hearts are aching as we have learned that the young woman we have been taking care of over the past five weeks has not been our dear Laura, but instead a fellow Taylor student of hers, Whitney Cerak,” the VanRyns said on the blog.

Ms Cerak’s grandfather, Emil Frank, said news of his granddaughter’s survival was a shock. “I still can’t get over it. It’s like a fairy tale,” he said.

The VanRyn family said that as the young woman began regaining consciousness at a rehabilitation centre in Grand Rapids, she said things that made them question her identity.

As recently as Monday, the VanRyns reported: “While certain things seem to be coming back to her, she still has times where she’ll say things that don’t make much sense.”

Officials at Taylor University, an evangelical Christian college in Upland, Indiana, confirmed the case of mistaken identity.

“We rejoice with the Ceraks. We grieve with the VanRyns,” said Taylor spokesman Jim Garringer.