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Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327.sPubDate = "3/28/2008 8:03:09 PM GMT";
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Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327.appHeader = "Mistaken Identity |Two families, one survivor";
Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327.appDeck = "One woman buried under the wrong name, another cared for by the wrong family";
Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327.appFooter = "Source: NBC News";
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Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i++] = new Array("","Mistaken Identity","Whitney Cerak, left, and Laura Van Ryn","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Sections/TVNews/Today%20show/aNEWS/2008/03%20-%20MARCH/Mistaken%20Identiy/Images/lauraandwhitney.hmedium.jpg","","", "sub", "", "", "", "", "", "A&M Photography Studio, Lisa Versluis", "273", "337", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i-1].body = "<headline/><div style=\"font-family : Verdana, Arial, Geneva, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><class=\"textBodyBlack\"><font size=\"2\"><br>Two years ago, Laura Van Ryn was a 22-year-old senior studying communications at Taylor University, a small evangelical school in Upland, Indiana. She was outgoing and athletic, with a wide circle of friends and a deep faith in God. So was Whitney Cerak, an 18-year-old freshman at Taylor, who was described as giggly and joyful by her family. <p>The two young women had several friends in common, but never actually spoke to each other until April 26, 2006, the night a deadly car crash, followed by an unbelievable string of events, joined the Van Ryn and Cerak families forever...<br>";

Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i++] = new Array("","The accident","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Sections/TVNews/Today%20show/aNEWS/2008/03%20-%20MARCH/Mistaken%20Identiy/3B.standard.jpg","","", "sub", "", "", "", "", "", "", "196", "298", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i-1].body = "<div style=\"font-family : Verdana, Arial, Geneva, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><class=\"textBodyBlack\"><font size=\"2\"><b>April 26</b><br>Laura, Whitney and several other students worked at Taylor's Fort Wayne campus, setting up a banquet. A little after 8 p.m., their work done, the students piled into a school van and head back toward the main campus. <p>A tractor trailer going north on I-69 in Marion, Ind., crossed the median into the southbound lanes, striking the van and killing five of the passengers instantly.<p>Two survivors were taken to Marion General Hospital. One of the survivors was identified as Laura Van Ryn. ";

Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i++] = new Array("","Identifying Whitney","Carly Cerak, far left, was the first to reach the hospital.","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Sections/TVNews/Today%20show/aNEWS/2008/03%20-%20MARCH/Mistaken%20Identiy/1A.200;200;7;70.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "", "", "150", "200", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i-1].body = "<div style=\"font-family : Verdana, Arial, Geneva, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><class=\"textBodyBlack\"><font size=\"2\">Three Taylor administrators went to Marion General Hospital, where the five dead bodies were taken. The hospital provided a list of five names and Taylor officials matched the names to the bodies, including Whitney. <p>The hospital gave Whitney's belongings to her sister Carly, who -- based on her own feelings and the advice of a deputy coroner -- decided not to view the body.<p>Whitney's father, Newell, was on an out-of-state retreat and rushed home to be with his family.";

Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i++] = new Array("","Van Ryns","The Van Ryn family, summer 2004. From left to right, Laura, Mark, Susie, Don, Kenny and Lisa.","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Sections/TVNews/Today%20show/aNEWS/2008/03%20-%20MARCH/Mistaken%20Identiy/Images/1C.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "Lisa Versluis", "273", "410", "", "", "", "", "");
Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i-1].body = "<div style=\"font-family : Verdana, Arial, Geneva, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><class=\"textBodyBlack\"><font size=\"2\">The Van Ryn family arrived at the ICU to see their daughter. In \"Mistaken Identity,\" a book written by the Van Ryn and Cerak families, they write that although Laura's face was bruised and swollen, \"her blond hair sticking up from the bandages, her nose, mouth and other features were still the same, still Laura.\"<p>Laura's sister Lisa and boyfriend Aryn were surprised to see her wearing Converse shoes and unfamiliar clothes, but they assumed she borrowed them from a roommate.";

Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i++] = new Array("","A school prays","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Sections/TVNews/Today%20show/aNEWS/2008/03%20-%20MARCH/Mistaken%20Identiy/3D.standard.jpg","","", "sub", "", "", "", "", "", "", "238", "298", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i-1].body = "<div style=\"font-family : Verdana, Arial, Geneva, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><class=\"textBodyBlack\"><font size=\"2\"><b>April 27</b><p>Taylor University canceled classes and held a prayer vigil at 9:00 a.m., where nearly 1,500 students and staff sang hymns and mourned the dead. <p>Officials released a list of the dead, including Elizabeth A. Smith, 22; Bradley J. Larson, 22; Laurel E. Erb, 20; Monica Felver, 53; and Whitney E. Cerak, 18. <p>A woman identified as Laura Van Ryn was in stable condition. Robert F. Spencer, the truck driver responsible for the crash, was in fair condition.<p>Authorities conducted autopsies on Felver, Larson and Smith and determine blunt-force injuries were the cause of death.";

Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i++] = new Array("","Blog begins","Lisa Van Ryn, top, kept friends and family informed of Laura's progress through a blog.","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Sections/TVNews/Today%20show/aNEWS/2008/03%20-%20MARCH/Mistaken%20Identiy/Images/IMG_3566.standard.jpg","","", "sub", "", "", "", "right", "", "Lisa Versluis", "298", "199", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i-1].body = "<div style=\"font-family : Verdana, Arial, Geneva, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><class=\"textBodyBlack\"><font size=\"2\"><b>April 28</b><p>Lisa Van Ryn blogged about her sister for the first time.<p>\"Laura was thrown about 50 feet from the van and seemed to take the brunt of the force on her left side. Laura is currently in a comatose state, and has been unconscious since the accident. This morning, she has made some small movements. There was a small move of her leg, squinting of the eyes, and some small finger movements. She has a respirator doing most of her breathing for her right now.\"";

Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i++] = new Array("","Final birthday","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Sections/TVNews/Today%20show/aNEWS/2008/03%20-%20MARCH/Mistaken%20Identiy/Images/CRW_6705.vmedium.jpg","","", "sub", "", "", "", "right", "", "A&M Photography Studio", "287", "198", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i-1].body = "<div style=\"font-family : Verdana, Arial, Geneva, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><class=\"textBodyBlack\"><font size=\"2\"><b>April 29</b><br>The visitation before the funeral fell on Whitney's 19th birthday.<p>\"Whitney was huge on birthdays,\" Colleen Cerak said. <p>The Ceraks played a video of Whitney's previous birthday parties as friends stopped by to offer their condolences.<p>\"Instead of just sitting there and being sad, they could sit there and just celebrate Whitney's life,\" Colleen said.  \"The laughter just made you understand and realize that Whitney's life, even though it was short, really had an impact.\"<p>About 1,400 people came out to the funeral service the following day.";

Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i++] = new Array("","Grief and questions","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Sections/TVNews/Today%20show/aNEWS/2008/03%20-%20MARCH/Mistaken%20Identiy/Whit11x14.hmedium.jpg","","", "sub", "", "", "", "", "", "A&M Photography Studio", "273", "375", "", "", "", "", "");
Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i-1].body = "<div style=\"font-family : Verdana, Arial, Geneva, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><class=\"textBodyBlack\"><font size=\"2\"><b>May 1</b><br>In a private ceremony on May 1, Whitney was laid to rest at Fairview Cemetery.<p>Around the same time, Laura's siblings noticed their sister's incisors were pushed up. In the book, Lisa remembers chalking it up to her sister's being thrown 50 feet from the vehicle and thinking the impact caused her teeth to shift.<p>";

Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i++] = new Array("","Families meet","On the way to the memorial service, the Ceraks passed five crosses that marked the spot on the highway were the Taylor students were killed.","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Sections/TVNews/Today%20show/aNEWS/2008/03%20-%20MARCH/Mistaken%20Identiy/8A.vmedium.jpg","","", "sub", "", "", "", "right", "", "", "298", "198", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i-1].body = "<div style=\"font-family : Verdana, Arial, Geneva, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><class=\"textBodyBlack\"><font size=\"2\"><b>May 7</b><br>The Ceraks drove back to Taylor for a memorial service 11 days after the deadly accident. It was there they met the Van Ryns. <p>Newell Cerak had an interesting reaction when he met Don Van Ryn. <p>\"At one point I said, 'I just wonder, Colleen, how we would handle it if that was our daughter,\" he recalled. \"I just don't know how strong a parent I am. Would I be able to handle taking care of a daughter that's been in a serious accident knowing that maybe she's gonna be a vegetable for the rest of her life?...At that point we just said, 'We're thankful that Whitney's gone and that the Van Ryns are strong enough to deal with the situation that they're dealing with.&#146;\" <br>";

Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i++] = new Array("","Aunt's doubts","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Sections/TVNews/Today%20show/aNEWS/2008/03%20-%20MARCH/Mistaken%20Identiy/3A.standard.jpg","","", "sub", "", "", "", "right", "", "", "298", "224", "", "", "", "", "");
Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i-1].body = "<div style=\"font-family : Verdana, Arial, Geneva, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><class=\"textBodyBlack\"><font size=\"2\"><b>May 8</b><p>Laura's Aunt Ruthann came to visit at the hospital. \"I don't care what anyone says, that doesn't look like Laura to me,\" she said.<br>";

Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i++] = new Array("","Laura's progress","","","","", "sub", "", "", "", "", "", "", "298", "224", "", "", "", "", "");
Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i-1].body = "<div style=\"font-family : Verdana, Arial, Geneva, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><class=\"textBodyBlack\"><font size=\"2\"><b>May 12</b><p>Twenty days after the accident, Lisa updates her blog on Laura's condition:<p>\"The speech therapist spent some time with Laura this morning and told us she was seeing some positive signs. Laura squeezed her hand a couple of times on command and also seems to be following sounds with her eyes.\"";

Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i++] = new Array("","Closer to home","Laura Van Ryn with friends.","http://msnbcmedia4.msn.com/j/msnbc/Sections/TVNews/Today%20show/aNEWS/2008/03%20-%20MARCH/Mistaken%20Identiy/Images/1D.standard.jpg","","", "sub", "", "", "", "", "", "", "203", "298", "", "", "", "", "");
Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i-1].body = "<div style=\"font-family : Verdana, Arial, Geneva, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><class=\"textBodyBlack\"><font size=\"2\"><b>May 18</b><p>Laura was transported to Spectrum Health Continuing Care Center in Grand Rapids, Mich., not far from her family's home.<p>Laura Van Ryn's roommate reaches out to Taylor University staff to question whether the injured young woman is actually Van Ryn. Taylor University requests official reports from the investigators and coroner's office.";

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Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i-1].body = "<div style=\"font-family : Verdana, Arial, Geneva, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><class=\"textBodyBlack\"><font size=\"2\"><b>May 22</b><p>Laura was becoming more agitated. She repeatedly ripped her neck brace off, saying \"help me\" and \"I want to go home\" -- but she also identified brother Kenny by name.";

Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i++] = new Array("","Wrong color eyes","Aryn and Laura dated for three years.  Their friends all believed they would get married.","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Sections/TVNews/Today%20show/aNEWS/2008/03%20-%20MARCH/Mistaken%20Identiy/Image994.standard.jpg","","", "sub", "", "", "", "", "", "", "201", "298", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i-1].body = "<div style=\"font-family : Verdana, Arial, Geneva, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><class=\"textBodyBlack\"><font size=\"2\">At one point Aryn, Lauren's boyfriend of three years, mentioned that Laura's eyes appeared more blue and green than he remembered.<p>\"I didn't really think about it to be honest,\" Lisa said.<br>";

Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i++] = new Array("","Strange responses","","","","", "sub", "", "", "", "", "", "", "199", "298", "", "", "", "", "");
Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i-1].body = "<div style=\"font-family : Verdana, Arial, Geneva, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><class=\"textBodyBlack\"><font size=\"2\"><b>May 26</b><p>While Aryn was pushing Laura around the hospital, he asked for a kiss and she obliged. Later, however, she tells him she wants to go home and calls him \"annoying.\"<p>In a blog update, Lisa writes about Laura's recovery:<p>\"If you ask her to look to her right or left she does that most of the time. As far as recognizing us ... we think that sometimes she does, and sometimes she doesn't.\"<br>";

Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i++] = new Array("","Wrong name","What Aryn didn't know at the time was that Whitney had a dog named Hunter.","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Sections/TVNews/Today%20show/aNEWS/2008/03%20-%20MARCH/Mistaken%20Identiy/Images/img161.vmedium.jpg","","", "sub", "", "", "", "right", "", "", "298", "196", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i-1].body = "<div style=\"font-family : Verdana, Arial, Geneva, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><class=\"textBodyBlack\"><font size=\"2\"><b>May 27</b><p>When Aryn comes to visit, Laura asks for a hug and kiss. She says she loves him but calls him \"Hunter.\"";

Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i++] = new Array("","Writing her name","With two occupational therapists ","http://msnbcmedia4.msn.com/j/msnbc/Sections/TVNews/Today%20show/aNEWS/2008/03%20-%20MARCH/Mistaken%20Identiy/4A.standard.jpg","","", "sub", "", "", "", "", "", "", "224", "298", "", "", "", "", "");
Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i-1].body = "<div style=\"font-family : Verdana, Arial, Geneva, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><class=\"textBodyBlack\"><font size=\"2\"><b>May 29</b><p>When Laura's therapist asked her to write her name, she scrawled \"Whitney.\"<p>Knowing that head trauma patients are often confused, her father didn't give it much thought.<p>\"My immediate thought was maybe she was sitting in the van next to Whitney just prior to the accident,\" Don Van Ryn said.";

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Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i-1].body = "<div style=\"font-family : Verdana, Arial, Geneva, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><class=\"textBodyBlack\"><font size=\"2\">On the night of May 29, Lisa felt something wasn&#146;t right. She found a CD from one of the memorials with photos of Whitney Cerak and she noticed similarities between the girl in the hospital bed and the girl in the photos. <p>After sharing her fears that the girl in the hospital bed wasn&#146;t Laura, her father tried to reassure her.<br>";

Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i++] = new Array("","Truth is revealed","","","","", "sub", "", "", "", "", "", "", "224", "298", "", "", "", "", "");
Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i-1].body = "<div style=\"font-family : Verdana, Arial, Geneva, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><class=\"textBodyBlack\"><font size=\"2\"><b>May 30</b><p>A family friend told Don Van Ryn that friends have been questioning whether or not it is Laura they've been taking care of. <p>Don and Susie Van Ryn went home to investigate how Laura was identified the night of the accident. They called their dentist to request Laura's dental records to confirm the identity of the young woman. <p>In a secluded corner, Lisa Van Ryn talked with the young woman in the wheelchair and asked her name. <br>\"Whitney,\" she says. She also says her last name and the names of her mother and father. <p>Dental records confirm that the young woman in the Rehabilitation Facility is not Laura Van Ryn.<br>";

Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i++] = new Array("","Mistaken identity","Taylor University Memorial Prayer Chapel","http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/j/msnbc/Sections/TVNews/Today%20show/aNEWS/2008/03%20-%20MARCH/Mistaken%20Identiy/Images/8B.standard.jpg","","", "sub", "", "", "", "", "", "", "189", "298", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i-1].body = "<div style=\"font-family : Verdana, Arial, Geneva, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><class=\"textBodyBlack\"><font size=\"2\"><b>May 31</b><p>The Van Ryn family issued a statement on the blog they created to update people on Laura's recovery:<p>\"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.\"";

Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i++] = new Array("","Families united","Whitney with dad, Newell Cerak, and Don Van Ryn in April 2007","http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/j/msnbc/Sections/TVNews/Today%20show/aNEWS/2008/03%20-%20MARCH/Mistaken%20Identiy/Images/6B.standard.jpg","","", "sub", "", "", "", "", "", "", "224", "298", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i-1].body = "<div style=\"font-family : Verdana, Arial, Geneva, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><class=\"textBodyBlack\"><font size=\"2\">The Ceraks and Van Ryns also issued a joint statement: \"Two wonderful young women shared a striking similarity in size, hair, facial features and body type... Our families are supporting each other in prayer, and we thank our families, friends and communities for their prayers.\" <p>The two families remain close to this day.<br>";

Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i++] = new Array("","Whitney's 'resurrection'","Whitney and her sister are reunited.","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Sections/TVNews/Today%20show/aNEWS/2008/03%20-%20MARCH/Mistaken%20Identiy/4E.standard.jpg","","", "sub", "", "", "", "", "", "", "224", "298", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i-1].body = "<div style=\"font-family : Verdana, Arial, Geneva, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><class=\"textBodyBlack\"><font size=\"2\"><b>June 1</b><p>Whitney Cerak's family took over the blog that was used by the Van Ryn family. Whitney's sister Carly posts on June 1, saying the family spent the day crying and praising God for the \"'resurrection' of Whitney.\"<p>\"Soon after we saw Whitney, our family met with the Van Ryns and our joy for ourselves was pushed aside by the pain we felt for them. It is hard because our joy is their pain.\"";

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Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i-1].body = "<div style=\"font-family : Verdana, Arial, Geneva, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><class=\"textBodyBlack\"><font size=\"2\"><b>June 4</b><p>Over 2,000 people attend a memorial service for Laura at Kentwood Community Church in Grand Rapids, Mich.";

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Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i-1].body = "<div style=\"font-family : Verdana, Arial, Geneva, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><class=\"textBodyBlack\"><font size=\"2\">In a private ceremony with about 25 friends and relatives, Laura Van Ryn was buried near a tree in Graceland Memorial Park near her hometown of Caledonia.<p>On June 7, the Van Ryns made a final post to the blog they created, saying, \"Our final encouragement to all is this: Do not hang on to the things of this world too tightly. Life here is but a vapor and there is an eternity ahead.\"";

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Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327[i-1].body = "<div style=\"font-family : Verdana, Arial, Geneva, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><class=\"textBodyBlack\"><font size=\"2\">In her one and only blog post, Whitney writes,\"Hi, everyone reading the blog, this is Whitney!! It feels good to finally be the person who updates you about...me!\"<p>After talking about her experience after the accident, she says she's excited to go back to \"normal\" life.<p>She signs off the blog, \"I AM FINALLY HOME.\"<p><a href=http://whitneycerak.blogspot.com/2006/08/august-11-2006-never-will-i-leave-you.html>Click here to see Whitney's blog post.</a>";

	// END editorial data