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Wieacker-Wolff Syndrome

Broncos Legacy Fund supports local girl with rare syndrome

Aug 31, 2026 | 12:51 AM

A girl in Humboldt has received support from the Humboldt Broncos Memorial Golf Tournament and the Broncos Legacy Fund.

Eight-year-old Ayla Gutowski deals with Wieacker-Wolff Syndrome, a rare genetic condition that affects only 250 people worldwide.

The syndrome affects how the nervous system and muscles grow, resulting in her family receiving a $10k cheque, which will be used to purchase a stairlift for their home.

“I was completely shocked and taken aback when they first reached out to us. It came as a complete surprise to us, and obviously there were lots of tears shed. When they had offered to help out, I honestly was just kind of thinking any little bit would be helpful, and we could add that to our savings account for it, but then when they came and said that it was 10,000, I was completely blown away. That was more than I had even considered, and it was quite a remarkable thing,” Ayla’s mom, Emily, told northeastNOW.

“We cannot thank the legacy program enough. I’ve cried so many happy tears over the last couple of weeks because of this; it’s amazing, and our hearts are just overfilled with joy for this. The stairlift is just going to give Ayla such a sense of independence, so she doesn’t have to be carried down the stairs by Mom and Dad anymore, or scoot on her bum to get down the stairs. It’s going to give her so much freedom and a sense of autonomy as well.”

Despite all Ayla has had to deal with, Emily added that it hasn’t prevented her daughter from being a kid.

“She was born with an ultra-rare genetic disorder that affects her motor development, muscle tone, and how her bones and muscles develop, but it hasn’t stopped her. It’s quite a remarkable thing to watch her go; I see her on the playground and stuff like that with kids, and she just doesn’t stop. She’s climbing up, she’s swinging, she’s trying to do everything that she possibly can with all the other kids, and it’s such a great thing to see.”

Along with the cheque, Ayla and her family received an inspirational video from Broncos’ crash survivor Ryan Straschinitzki.

Emily said it was a great message to hear from someone who’s overcome a lot.

“Obviously, he’s gone so far since the accident happened. Everything that he has gone through, he has put to good use, and it’s really incredible to see him making such a big difference in these families and other people who maybe are dealing with some other physical challenges as well. It was actually really neat to show Ayla the video as well and say Ryan has gone through his own journey, and he’s reaching out and willing to meet up with you even. Look what he’s able to do, and look what all these other families and people are able to do with their situation, so it was quite remarkable for her to see that,” She continued.

Ayla will continue to push through and keep being a kid, with some help from the stairlift, as she now also recovers from full lower-half reconstructive surgery in hopes of getting everything realigned and helping make the day-to-day stuff easier.

Ben.Tompkins@pattisonmedia.com

On X @BenTompkins_8