Her Blue Devil Has Wings: Brunswick mother writes memoir on grief more than a decade after her son and friends died in crash

BRUNSWICK — The mother of one of the Brunswick High School students who lost their lives in a car crash over a decade ago wrote a memoir to tell her story of grief and to encourage others to heal. Blake Bartchak, Jeffrey Chaya, Kevin Fox and Lexi Poerner died after their vehicle went over a railroad crossing and lost control in June 2012, the day before some of them were set to graduate from Brunswick High School. Julia Romito was the sole survivor of the crash. "When Blake (Bartchak) died that night, I cried so hard," said his mother, Terri Bartchak. "I said, 'God, I'm not going to be able to do this. I need your help,' and he shined his light on me." Bartchak was a GriefShare facilitator for nearly eight years and brought a GriefShare program to a local church. She said she loved being able to help others experiencing grief. "I fell in love with helping (people) navigate the grieving world, talking about grief and listening to people's stories," she said. "I love sharing my story, so I get to share Blake's story." For more than a decade, Bartchak has gotten up in the middle of the night to journal. Then, she felt compelled to go to Brunswick High School to talk about her son after having a dream. She ended up telling his story with a group called the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. "When I told (my daughter) Brittany all this, she's like, 'Mom, you need to write a story,'" she said. "I've been writing and journaling forever, but that's for me. I told Brittany, 'I struggled in school, I didn't go to college and I never even wrote a book report.' She goes, 'Mom, that's why you get editors.'" Bartchak started writing in April, and she asked a woman in her grief class named Barb Ortiz to help edit her book and bring her story to life. "She goes, 'Terri, I think God wrote your story,'" she said. "'It's not even in bad shape.'" Bartchak's book "My Blue Devil Has Wings" is ultimately a story about the kids who were involved in the crash. "Kevin (Fox) was an organ donor, and Lexi (Poerner) was a German dancer who was sweet, kind and beautiful," she said. "Blake (Bartchak) and Jeff (Chaya) were football players, and they are just all-American good kids." It's also a thank-you letter to the Brunswick community for how they supported her over the years, Bartchak said. "Everyone in the world's worst nightmare is the loss of a child," she said. "If you lose a child, all you want to do is honor them and have their legacy be alive. That's why I wrote this because I don't want their legacy to die." The book aims to help readers get through the hard times in their lives. Bartchak said she is excited to tell her story and connect with others. "I'm an overcomer," she said. "I've overcome the fear of writing because it's my first book report ever and the fear of sharing my book and being a storyteller. I am conquering a ton of fears." For more information about "My Blue Devil Has Wings" or to hear more of her story, visit tinyurl.com/2duempbu. "If someone told me this story, I would tell my son to be very careful," Bartchak said. "Drive safely, drive cautiously because your life matters, and you need to drive safely. You need to be safe on these roads." Bartchak encourages anyone who is interested in having her for an event to contact her through Facebook at tinyurl.com/mr3y29y4. "I know that everyone is struggling with something, and if you're struggling with something, I want to walk with you," she said. "I want my book to help you." Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.