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When 22 year old Lissant Froon told her parents she was planning a six-week trip to Costa Rica, they kept their concerns

to themselves.

The Froon family lived in the Dutch city of Amersford and had never been outside of Europe.

With relatively little travel experience, Lissan's parents had reservations about their only

daughter venturing to a foreign country, but they wanted to be supportive.

Lissan had been struggling with self-confidence, and a step outside her comfort zone could

be exactly what she needed.

Besides, Lissan was a sensible, intelligent and introspective young woman who preferred nature

and sports over partying. She gave her family no reason to worry.

When the trip unexpectedly fell through, Lissan's parents breathed a collective sigh of relief, but that relief was short-lived.

Before long, Lassan announced the plan was back in action,

but the destination had been changed.

She would be going to the neighboring country of Panama instead.

In the lead up to the trip, Lassan sat her parents and older brother down and ran them through

every step of her upcoming journey. She would be traveling with her close

friend 21-year-old Chris Kramers, a fine arts student with a flare for performing.

The two had met four years prior while working at the same restaurant and they'd recently

...