Cedars, October 2017

October 2017 17 COVER STORY Van Dyck revisited the hospital, this time in Hershey. Tests revealed that noth- ing was damaged, but she was kept in the hospital to continue the recovery process. Van Dyck was then allowed to go home the day before Thanksgiving. From there, Van Dyck completed phys- ical therapy in hopes of getting back to her previous form. She was cleared to return to soccer for this season. “It’s just been really neat to see how God has restored my body,” Van Dyck said. “I’m taking classes fairly normal and I feel pretty good.” Van Dyck took incompletes on all her classes for the fall 2016 semester but fin- ished them all and got entirely caught up by the end of the spring semester. The sophomore is now fully active for Cedarville’s women’s soccer team. She’s played at least 60 minutes in each match as of Oct. 1. Less than a year ago, Van Dyck’s playing days were no longer guaranteed. Her doctor couldn’t promise she would make it back on the field. “It’s such a gift that can be taken at any moment,” Van Dyck said. “So just going out in every practice or game and being thank- ful for the opportunity I have transfers to other girls.” The paramount moments in life can call for either a greater reliance on God or an inclination to bury the ordeal in some form other than Him. Van Dyck allowed adversity to further showcase her faith in God’s glory. “It turned out to be a great opportunity to show her love,” Cradduck said. “She was in a really tough place but God’s faithful in all things and that’s something she hooked on to.” On the field, Van Dyck has been a key donor to the Lady Jackets’ season. She serves as one of the team’s captains and is an everyday starter. “She’s a smart individual and she’s re- ally fun to play with,” Miorelli said. “She can control the game really well.” Van Dyck’s brain surgery has also brought a new attitude to the team. Barnes said kicking a ball is no more than just a game and that there’s much more to life than piling up accolades on the field. “Having your teammate go through something life changing has been able to bring a good balance that shows there’s more to life than just soccer,” Barnes said. “This is someone who just had brain surgery and could have very well died and in context of that, whether or not we win or lose games is not very important.” Brain surgery is one of the most daunt- ing hazards people can face. She allowed her faith to become stronger and changed her team’s culture when she easily could’ve put up a wall and shut out the world. “God gives you the amount of grace you need in the situations you’re faced with,” Van Dyck said. “I’ve just learned how faithful God is and how constant He is.” Tim Miller is a sophomore marketing ma- jor and sports editor for Cedars. He enjoys having a baby face, sipping Dunkin Donuts coffee and striving to be the optimal combi- nation of Dwight Schrute and Ron Swan- son. Photo by Mikayla Veness Defying all odds in a miraculous recovery after brain surgery, Creslyn Van Dyck is now a regular in the Lady Jackets’ starting lineup. www.resoundradio.com Listen Online Now! Student Focused Radio 24/7