The Human Etch A Sketch: Iowa man stops in Kokomo to spell names of kids battling cancer

Jun. 21—It took Rik Zortman nearly 70 minutes to spell the names Mason and Abby on Friday afternoon. But that makes sense, considering the pen was his own two feet, and the paper the streets of Kokomo.

Zortman is the self-proclaimed Human Etch A Sketch. For nearly five years, the 49-year-old Iowa native has traveled the nation spelling names and words using a GPS phone app while he jogs. Zortman carefully plans his routes to spell out a word. When he's done running, the GPS image shows the name etched out across the city streets.

But these aren't just any names.

In most cases, Zortman jogs out the names of local kids who are fighting cancer or lost their battle to the disease — just like his own son Armstrong. In fact, Zortman started the etching outreach as a way to honor and remember Armstrong, who passed away in 2009 from brain cancer at the age of 3.

And on Friday, he used Kokomo's streets to honor Mason Garvey and Abby Deditch.

Deditch, an Indiana University Kokomo student studying nursing, was diagnosed with a form of leukemia when she was in the sixth grade. The cancer kept her out of school for the next two years.

The care she received while undergoing treatment inspired her to become a nurse to help kids like her, and to work with children and families who go through what she did as a middle schooler.

Mason Garvey passed away in 2020 at the age of 9 after battling a type of soft-tissue cancer for two years. He underwent 39 weeks of intensive chemotherapy, 40 radiation treatments and even flew to Seattle for an experiential treatment, but the therapy was unsuccessful.

On Friday, Mason's parents, Heather and Kevin, traveled from their home in the Indianapolis area to join Zortman in Foster Park just before he took off to honor their son.

Zortman had texted the family a picture of the route a week or so earlier. Heather said they were hanging out on the couch when they saw it, and they were surprised by their own reaction to the photo.

"I never thought looking at a name could be so emotional," Heather said. "I mean, it just brought tears to both of our eyes immediately. We're just so thankful that he chooses to do this."

While at the park, Zortman and the family chatted about their own experiences watching their children battle cancer. They shared stories of moments when they knew their kids were there with them even after passing away. Then the conversation ended.

"Well, let's go run for Mason," Zortman said.

And with that, he and his wife, Lisa, took off from the park with their phone in hand to spell Mason's name across downtown Kokomo. Just over 3.4 miles and about 40 minutes later, the GPS showed his name stretching from Wabash Street to Apperson Way.

Then he turned around and ran another 2.9 miles from Jackson Street to Webster Street to spell Abby's name.

Zortman said that during the run, his mind was focused on Mason and Abby and their stories, but his thoughts always drift back toward his own son.

After Armstrong died in 2009, Zortman said he felt lost. He blamed himself for Armstrong's death. As a way to cope, he turned toward something his son used to love: running. He started doing marathons, talking to Armstrong in his mind through the whole race. Each time, Zortman said, he felt closer to him.

Then in 2017, he hit on the idea of spelling out his son's name while running as a way to remember and connect with Armstrong. He mapped out his name near his house and jogged the route.

And with that, the Human Etch A Sketch was born.

Since then, Zortman has spelled over 2,600 names or words throughout towns and cities in 19 states. He's etched names in all 99 counties in his home state of Iowa.

Although he usually runs for kids fighting cancer, Zortman said, he's also spelled out badge numbers for fallen officers and even the names of deceased pets.

His trip to Kokomo on Friday was part of a weeklong stint of etching in Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan and Canada. In each location, Zortman has found families or people fighting cancer who need a little support or comfort.

"It's a different run every day, but it's the same motivation," he said. "I'm just going out there and sharing their stories."

The trip was a way to do more sketching, but it was also an impromptu honeymoon for Zortman and his wife, who married in 2020. The two were planning on going to Mexico for their honeymoon, but then the coronavirus pandemic hit. Now, they're heading up to Niagara Falls to celebrate.

But raising awareness about childhood cancer has become such a part of Zortman's life that he couldn't resist doing some etching along the way. He said he decided to stop in Kokomo because it's an ideal spot to run a name. It's flat, the streets are laid out in a grid pattern and there aren't any big buildings to block his GPS signal.

Whatever the reason, Heather said, she's glad Zortman was there to run for her son, who came to be known as "Mighty Mason."

Heather said it's good to know there are people out there who understand the devastation and staggering grief that comes from losing a child to cancer, and who are willing to help others through the pain.

"We're just so thankful that he chooses to do this to help himself heal and bring in other families to honor these kids who fight so hard during their battles," Heather said. "It's a great way to remember Mason and all these kids."

Carson Gerber can be reached at 765-854-6739, carson.gerber@kokomotribune.com or on Twitter @carsongerber1.