David Gebala and Cia Edmonds say their daughter ‘continues to give it all she’s got’ as she recovers multiple gunshot wounds in a Vancouver hospital
After a “turn for the worse” late last week, Tumbler Ridge mass shooting survivor Maya Gebala was showing signs of improvement early this week, even intently watching some favourite shows from her hospital bed, her parents shared.
Both Maya’s father, David Gebala, and mother, Cia Edmonds, posted separate updates about the resilient 12-year-old and her recovery late Tuesday, highlighting increased mobility and signs that, despite complications, “she continues to give it all she’s got.”
“Today Maya is watching ‘The Thundermans’, and it’s been so special to see her enjoying her shows again, a beautiful sense of familiarity and comfort for her,” Gebala wrote alongside a video of her watching the Nickelodeon superhero sitcom.
Two days prior, Edmonds had posted a video of Maya watching Henry Danger, another teen superhero show, which is a “ritual at bedtime for her.”
“It’s nice to see a part of her coming through in such a way,” Edmonds wrote.
Maya suffered significant brain damage when Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, shot her, as she tried to protect Tumbler Ridge Secondary School classmates on Feb. 10. She has been recovering from gunshot wounds to the head and neck at the B.C. Children’s Hospital intensive care unit in Vancouver since.
In his update, Gebala said the latest CT scans are the clearest yet and Maya is moving the left side of her body and has used the foot of the bed to push herself up.
There’s still a long road ahead, he said, but it’s a sign that “she keeps pushing and showing us she’s there.”
“We’ve seen her move her right arm and leg ever so slightly on a couple of occasions, and now her left eye is reacting to light,” he wrote. “It might seem little, but it’s a lot for her! And huge for all of us.”
Movement on the right is significant, Edmonds said, because doctors have said the brain damage was similar to a stroke and could result in Maya never having use of that side.
At certain times, Edmonds said Maya will be placed in a chair “to help with pressure and blood flow.” During one of those sessions on Monday, as people conversed around her, “in true Maya fashion,” she hurled her right arm off the armrest to let it hang by her side.
“Maya’s defiance, her way of saying ‘watch me,’” Edmonds wrote. “She shows us she will not give up, so we can’t either.”
The positive news follows a more worrisome update by Edmonds last Friday, in which she wondered when her daughter’s progress would plateau.
“At some point, the reality of our situation started to settle. My baby has a direct bullet hole in her brain… we’ve defeated odds, but how far will we go,” she wrote, adding that “Maya’s health took a turn for the worse” over 48 hours with pneumonia, meningitis, two brain surgeries and a cerebral fluid leak.
She also shared stories about Maya’s character and qualities, like when she was a “defiant and stubborn” baby who refused to sleep in her crib or the toddler who refused to wear pants, even if it meant missing a trip to the park.
“The child that dreamt of hockey since she was four, and had never skated in her life. She had her heart set on stilt walking for years… so she did it. She decided to teach herself guitar, three months later she sang on stage,” Edmonds shared late Tuesday night.
“Relentless ambition. ‘I can’t’ was never a thought.”
But Edmonds also celebrated her daughter’s gentle spirit.
During a camping trip at nearby Lac La Hache last Summer, she said Maya would wake every morning at 7 a.m. to catch a fish and bring it to the base of a nearby tree where an eagle had made its nest.
“The last day she went, the previous day’s fish was still there. That consumed her with sadness that the fish was ‘wasted.’ Her intense empathy decided the loss wasn’t worth the potential gain,” Edmonds wrote.
“Her big heart, her love for life, and her unwavering determination… and then this.”
Edmonds also said that she’s still coming to terms with the “unimaginable” incident at the school where kids should be doing kid things.
“We knew the family, we knew the suspect for years,” she wrote.
“This isn’t meant to happen. This should never ever happen. Why????”
As of Wednesday morning, the GoFundMe to support Maya and her family has raised more than $485,000 on the strength of more than 7,300 donations.
One of those last week came from Vancouver Canucks forward Evander Kane, who contributed $1,000.
“To the best of my knowledge, Evander has supported a number of individuals and families during this time, including Maya,” Kane’s agent told National Post via email. “Out of respect for privacy, we’re not confirming any specific details or amounts related to personal donations.”
Maya’s story also caught the attention of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, her favourite team, which sent her a jersey bearing her surname and No. 14.
“From one No. 14 to another, we’re thinking about you,” Swedish defenceman said in a video shared by Gebala. “We’re hoping you have a speedy recovery. We want to send our thoughts and prayers. We’re behind you.”
Despite rumours circulating online, Edmonds said Oilers captain “Connor McDavid hasn’t reached out about medical bills.”
The Vancouver Goldeneyes of the Professional Women’s Hockey League, meanwhile, paid tribute to Maya and the other victims prior to their Sunday game against the Toronto Sceptres.
“Maya, your hockey family is with you,” the announcer said before a moment of silence. “Stay strong. Keep fighting. We believe in you.”
She also got a shout-out from Canadian women’s hockey legend Hayley Wickenheiser, who shared that Maya and her teammates took part in a 2024 hockey camp in Calgary.
“I remember it was such a big undertaking to fundraise and get to Calgary for that Tumbler Ridge team. A small town — just like where I came from. I always have a soft spot for those towns. Many of those kids in that pic are directly affected and traumatized. Everyone knows everyone,” she wrote on LinkedIn with two photos, one of the whole squad and another of just Maya on the ice, her face painted like a cat’s in the team’s colours beneath her helmet.
“For Maya, my little WickFesters from Tumbler Ridge, Paige (Hoekstra), the other beautiful souls lost and the entire Tumbler Community — our thoughts are with you. We are here for you.”
The Ultimate Fighting Championship also paid quiet tribute to Maya at an event in Texas on Feb. 21 by having her name printed on part of the octagon.
“Big shout out to the UFC for doing this for our amazing little warrior Maya,” Gebala wrote, thanking President Dana White and his team.
“You guys have been truly amazing and we can’t begin to thank you enough.”
Other contributions from sports organizations included a $1,000 GoFundMe from the Vancouver Fire Department’s hockey club and a signed football and merchandise from the B.C. Lions.
Tumbler Ridgeslines, the town’s local newspaper, also reported on several teams donning No. 14 in tribute to the girl in the days following the shooting.
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