Seven years ago, Emily Sweitzer and her husband Justin lost their 7-year-old son Issac in an automobile accident.
The couple lived in a gray world after that, one where the four walls of their home and everything inside became a constant reminder of the precious child they had lost.
This year, the couple reached a painful milestone and a decision.
“This was the year that we were like, we had seven good years with him, now we’ve had seven years without him,” Emily said. “Let’s try to go find how to live again, without being sad all the time.”
So they sold their Pennsylvania home, bought a travel trailer, and took off on the open road on a journey to find something in the world besides sadness.
On Facebook, they call it “Chasing Color.” But it’s about so much more than finding beautiful scenery.
“We’re searching for purpose, I guess,” Emily told Cowboy State Daily.
Teal was Issac’s favorite color and, along the way, the couple has found all sorts of unexpected teal reminders of their son.
He was also a massive Batman fan.
“Before he passed away, it was Batman everything,” Emily said. “He had Batman stickers, Batman bedding, anything Batman. His idea of a good Saturday was sitting down to watch entire Batman movies.”
The color teal, the couple believe, is Issac’s way of flashing them a little Bat-Signal of his own, telling them love never dies, so his spirit is always with them.
“It’s important for parents to understand that our loved ones are still with us,” Emily said. “We just have to appreciate the little signs that they are trying to communicate to us.”
Issac’s teal signs have taken the Sweitzers to some of the most unexpected places. But perhaps none was more unexpected — or special — than the one they found in Afton.
There, Issac’s Bat-Signal was literal.
It was a giant teal Bat-Signal projected on a mountainside, the same mountainside that hosts the nightly Afton Star.
Afton Or Bust
Afton became a destination thanks to a seemingly random coincidence. It was so random the couple doesn’t actually believe it was just coincidence.
It was the universe conspiring to send them an important message from their son.
“I got a message sometime in June from a girlfriend of mine who says, ‘You’re not going to believe what I’m looking at,’” Emily said. “So she sent me a picture and said, ‘I’m in this town called Afton, Wyoming, and there’s a teal Bat-Signal on the mountain.’”
It sounded crazy, but Emily’s friend had snapped a quick picture and texted it to her. It was definitely real.
“From that moment on, my husband and I were like, we’re going to Afton, because there’s a Bat-Signal,” Emily said. “Our son’s called us there.”
No Bat-Signal
But when the Sweitzers arrived in Afton, the signal that had drawn them thousands of miles was nowhere to be seen.
There was, instead, a big white star glowing on the mountain. Afton’s white star dates to the 1920s. In more recent times, it has been lit nightly and is known as the Star of the Valley.
“While that’s pretty cool, it’s not why we drove thousands of miles,” Emily said. “So we were a little devastated. We had driven out there kind of blind and we didn’t know if it was a community thing or how it got on the mountain or anything.”
That made for a rough night, but the next day the couple regrouped. Emily and her husband started asking about the Bat-Signal everywhere they went.
“Eventually, I went into Shelly’s (Cowboy) Bar and I talked to somebody there who said you need to go talk to the gals at the town hall,” Emily said. “And so I did. I went in there, and, at this point, I was exhausted.”
No Promises …
She told the town hall staff how she and her husband had just driven thousands of miles to come see a teal Bat-Signal their friend had seen on the mountain.
They promised to pass her phone number along to the person responsible, a man named Kendell Call.
But they could make no promises beyond that.
The Sweitzers decided to go exploring in the Swift Creek Canyon while they were waiting to see if they’d hear from Call.
As the sun sank in the sky, they could feel their spirits getting lower, too. They only had three days to spend in Afton, and they were already on night two.
Maybe they weren’t going to get to see that Bat-Signal after all.
They returned to town. No sooner had they done so than the message they’d been hoping for suddenly pinged.
“He didn’t hesitate,” Emily said. “He said, ‘Come on over. Park in my driveway. We’ll watch it together. I can put any design up there that you want.’”
For The Love Of Batman
Call describes himself as “crazy and eccentric” because he’s had a lifelong fascination with all things technology.
He’s posted pictures on his Facebook page of a robot he and a friend built when they were kids. The robot could shake hands — and shock its victims while doing so.
A few years ago, Call bought a laser system powerful enough to project images on the hill just above him. The Bat-Signal is one of his personal favorites because he, too, grew up loving Batman, just like Issac.
“One night, there was a power failure here, so it was all dark,” he said. “And this thing will work on battery power, so I projected the Bat-Signal
up there and people loved it.”
In fact, someone liked his Bat-Signal so much they posted a picture of it on Facebook along with the words, “The power is out in Afton. Batman has been notified.”
After that, Call projected the Bat-Signal every once in a while, when it seemed to fit a moment or when he was in the mood.
“On Halloween, I’ve projected ghosts up there and things like that which move,” he said. “And there’s a star on the mountain, which is a permanent fixture. So I project a Christmas tree underneath it or star of Bethlehem kind of over it.”
It’s a powerful tool, Call said, one he’s careful not to use if he thinks anyone is over on the mountain. He just wants it to bring joy to the world — not stress someone out.
Issac Sweitzer was 7 when he was killed in a car crash. He was a huge Batman fan. (Emily and Justin Sweitzer) 
Issac Sweitzer was 7 when he was killed in a car crash. He was a huge Batman fan. (Emily and Justin Sweitzer)
It’s A Wonderful Life
When he got the call from town hall about the Sweitzers, Call knew right away he had to invite them over to show them his laser setup and project the teal Bat-Signal just for them.
The Sweitzers arrived just before 9 p.m., so it wasn’t quite dark. There was time to chat and tell stories. Call showed them his laser system and the Sweitzers told him all about Issac.
When it became dark enough, Call projected the Bat-Signal for the couple, and they drove around, taking pictures of it. They also FaceTimed their daughter in Pennsylvania to share the moment that brought them to Wyoming.
For Call, the Sweitzers’ visit was an “It’s a Wonderful Life” moment — an unexpected glimpse at the difference his hobby made to someone else.
He’d just been entertaining himself and neighbors with his laser lights, never imagining anyone might cross an entire country to seek out those lights because they reminded them of their son.
“I didn’t expect such an inspiring story to come from this,” he said. “But it makes me feel really good that I was able to brighten someone’s life. It was the ultimate joy.”
Still Chasing Color
While the Sweitzers’ visit only lasted a little more than an hour, there were tears and hugs before the couple returned to their camper.
They left feeling that Call could become a lifelong friend, and Call was left with a new appreciation of his hobby.
After Wyoming, the Sweitzers headed to the Grand Canyon and Lake Mead, where they saw more flashes of teal to remind them of Issac. By the time Cowboy State Daily talked to them, they’d reached Missouri while working their way back toward Pennsylvania and their daughter.
They plan to spend the holidays in a cabin in the woods, then head somewhere warmer in January as soon as weather permits.
Their journey isn’t about leaving Issac behind. It’s about finding him everywhere, because he’s always there with them, in their hearts.
“It’s amazing when you start opening your eyes,” she said. “You can’t help but see these little signs everywhere.”
These signs have become a comfort. They help her remember a boy who had a big heart and an old soul. Someone who liked to sit and talk. Someone who liked to make people smile.
“There’s no right or wrong way to navigate life after something so traumatic,” Emily said. “So I want my page to bring hope to other people, not just grieving parents. There is life, and even though you are going through something so dark, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. It’s important for people to continue searching for it.”
Renée Jean can be reached at renee@cowboystatedaily.com.
