Kyler Voss needs help from the surfing community. Photo: GoFundMe
Becoming a successful photographer is incredibly hard. Becoming a successful surf photographer is even harder. It takes talent, dedication, and perseverance. Those are all things that Kyler Voss has, and that perseverance is going to be put to the test. Voss, a Canadian surf photographer who calls Tofino home, has a tumor in his spinal cord and lower brain. Now, his family has set up a crowdfunding campaign to help as they work through an extraordinarily difficult time.
“In August 2025, Kyler began experiencing numbness and tingling in his feet,” wrote his wife, Jaymee. “Over time, the sensation moved up his body, eventually causing numbness in his lower body from his chest down. After months of scans and tests, a full-body MRI revealed a tumor inside his spinal cord and lower brain.”
Voss, who has been featured on The Inertia a handful of times, is raising three boys with Jaymee. Thatcher is six, Arden is four, and Harlan is one. He supports his family with his camera and his boat — the latter of which is a necessity for a Canadian surf photographer — and as he works his way through recovery, using either won’t be possible.
Voss underwent spinal surgery on March 10. While it looked successful at first, things took a turn a few days afterward. Soon after that first surgery, he was walking without help. He still had numbness, but his ability to move was rapidly improving. The brain tumor, however, had other plans. On March 26, an update on the GoFundMe campaign shared some hard news.
“Pathology results have come back and doctors are all quite certain Kyler has stage 4, spinal glioblastoma,” it reads. “This is a very rare (less than 200 cases documented) and very aggressive cancer. The exact plan is still being formulated but Kyler will likely have to undergo many weeks of radiation, followed by chemo. There are still unknowns on the brain tumor, but it is expected that they are linked. The oncologist and neurologist have a round table tomorrow (Friday), and we are all holding out hope for a better diagnosis.”
Voss was admitted back into hospital on March 24. He was in extreme pain and dealing with issues related to how his surgery incisions were healing. Now, at least, it looks as though he’s back on a healing path, but the road ahead is a long one for the family.
“Anyone who knows Kyler knows he is always the first to lend a helping hand, bring by a special treat, or offer a big hug when it’s needed,” his family wrote. “Now it’s our turn to support him.”
