Image: GoFundMe

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Chilliwack girl battles leukemia

GoFundMe launched for 4-year-old Chilliwack girl diagnosed with acute leukemia, undergoing chemo

Jan 5, 2026 | 6:05 AM

CHILLIWACK — The community has stepped forward to support a 4-year-old Chilliwack girl who was diagnosed with leukemia on Christmas Day and is now undergoing chemotherapy.

According to the text of a GoFundMe initiated by Steel Lane, Asha Korytko was initially brought to the emergency room on Christmas Eve for fever and vomiting but was subsequently transported via ambulance transfer to BC Children’s Hospital. On Christmas Day, physicians performed a bone marrow biopsy that confirmed Asha has acute myeloid leukemia. Less than 48 hours after her diagnosis, Asha began receiving chemotherapy.

Lane wrote in the GoFundMe appeal that Asha will be living at the hospital full-time for the next 8–10 months and might return home to Chilliwack by fall 2026, assuming there are no complications. Her parents, Joel and April Korytko, are staying at the Ronald McDonald House to be with her through every round of chemo, every difficult day, and every small victory.

Asha is described as a happy, energetic kid who loves the world around her and all that it has to offer.

“Asha is a happy, energetic girl who springs into everything she does with full force,” Lane said. “She is kind, inquisitive, and full of love for everyone around her. She loves unicorns, purple, constant wardrobe changes, and singing and dancing to her favourite KPop Demon Hunters songs. If anyone has the strength to overcome AML, she does.”

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Image: GoFundMe / Asha with her siblings Reed (left) and Ember (right) at the beach.

Asha is the youngest of three kids. Her older brother Reed (9) and Ember (7) will need care and stability while their little sister fights to get well. Her parents, Joel and April Korytko, are stepping away from their respective careers to focus entirely on Asha’s treatment. Joel is a professor at Northwest College and Seminary and Trinity Western University; April works as a pediatric registered nurse with Fraser Health. They are deeply involved in their church and community and loved by many, Lane said.

Kids from the family’s home church of Sardis Fellowship Baptist Church in Chilliwack made dozens of handcrafted cards on Sunday (Jan. 4) for Asha, writing messages of support and encouragement that will be delivered to her at B.C. Children’s Hospital.

The GoFundMe is being organized by two close friends of the family, one of which is Lane, who have known them for over a decade.

“BC’s healthcare system covers Asha’s medical care—what it doesn’t cover is 8+ months of lost income, childcare for Reed and Ember, travel between home and hospital, housing, utilities, meals, parking, and the daily expenses that accumulate when a family is stretched across two places for the better part of a year,” Lane said.

The GoFundMe was started with a goal of helping the parents focus wholeheartedly on little Asha while their two older kids adjust to their new life. As of Sunday night, over 200 people have donated to raise over $34,000 for Asha Kortyko.

“Your generosity means Joel and April can focus on what matters most: helping their daughter get well while keeping Reed and Ember’s world as steady as possible,” Lane said, who said financial contributions, shares, and messages of encouragement are the most meaningful ways to support them right now. PC grocery gift cards are also welcome.

Lane has since provided an update about Asha’s condition. It appears that her white blood cell counts are trending in the right direction after she started chemotherapy.

“She’s out of the ICU and back in her own room in Oncology,” Lane wrote on Friday, Jan. 2. “Today has been a big day for testing—the results will help determine the next steps in treatment. Joel and April have been blown away by all the support. They may not be able to return messages or texts right away, but they see them and deeply appreciate it.”

Image: GoFundMe