12-year-old Tumbler Ridge victim Maya moving to phase ‘for recovery, instead of goodbyes,’ mom says
In the intensive care unit at B.C. Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, a week after the Tumbler Ridge tragedy, Cia Edmonds is still singing and talking to her daughter, Maya Gebala, “(telling) her how proud we are and that the entire world is cheering her on,” she posted in a Feb. 17 update.
The 12-year-old remains in a medically induced coma after being shot while trying to protect her classmates.
For Edmonds, “the gravity of what’s happened has finally sunk in.” Maya, a survivor — and one of the heroes — of the Tumbler Ridge school shooting, has been in critical condition since the massacre took place on Feb. 10. “I think I had a glimmer of hope that she might open her eyes… maybe she would recognize me,” Edmonds wrote on Facebook. “My baby is in there.. but how much is left. Time will only tell. My sweet Maya, I miss you. To the moon, and all the stars in the sky.”
Maya’s Facebook page shows photos of a kitten, a horse, a swimming hole and a friend. She’s an avid hockey player who plays defence for the U-13 Tumbler Ridge Raptors. The logo on her GoFundMe page, which Edmonds said was created by her cousin, Krysta Hunt, shows her number, #14, above the hashtag #MayaStrong.
At time of writing, a GoFundMe campaign in support of Maya’s recovery had surpassed the $250,000 goal, raising $440,000 with more than 6,600 donations. According to a post by Maya’s father, David Gebala, the Coastal Tsunami junior hockey club “will be wearing Maya’s #14 the rest of the season.”
Maya is one of two students seriously injured when a shooter carrying two firearms fired on Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, killing five students and a teacher. This weekend, doctors cleared the other survivor, Paige Hoekstra, for the return home, according to a family update on a GoFundMe page.
In the library at the time of the massacre, Maya and her Grade 7 classmates reportedly tried to secure the door after hearing a commotion — only to find that the lock was broken.
“Maya’s classmate ran for cover, and Maya spent an extra few seconds trying to lock the door,” Hunt told Postmedia, describing accounts shared with the family. “She was not successful.”
As Maya ran for shelter under a desk, a shot grazed her cheek and ear. Subsequent shots hit her head and neck. According to Hunt, a classmate saw Maya’s finger moving and alerted first responders, who attended to her first. Maya was airlifted to Vancouver, and Edmonds and Maya’s father, David Gebala, followed.
Even as she sits by her daughter’s bedside, Edmonds expresses Maya’s concern for others. “I have been having a hard time sleeping most nights. I just look at my baby girl.. and I wish I could just save her,” she posted to Facebook on Feb. 16, along with a link to a GoFundMe campaign for Ezekiel Schofield’s family, who was 13 years old when he was killed in the attack. “I think about when, or if, she wakes up.. how she will feel when she finds out the people that weren’t as lucky to have a chance to fight.. Maya played hockey with Ezekiel on and off for years.. I know in her heart she will hurt for her fellow teammate.”
On Feb. 16, Edmonds posted that Maya was moving on her left side but not on her right, and said that she seemed to be responding. She said that it felt as if Maya’s eyes followed her voice as she moved to the foot of the bed, massaging her feet.
Image to her brain stem where a bullet exited. “Because of the damage and swelling surrounding it, it is hard to say how much response and deliberate function she will be able to regain, however, we are hopeful.”
Maya Gebela, who was shot at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School on Feb. 10, remains in critical condition in B.C. Children’s Hospital.
Edmonds said there was also “significant” damage to the left side of Maya’s brain, where another bullet entered and exited. “It tore right through,” she posted.
Maya “has been cleared for a feeding tube and is (thankfully) not considered to pass in the immediate future,” Edmonds added, saying that though Maya has experienced uplifting progress, many fears remain. “We are so incredibly grateful for all the love and support. I believe that positive energy and prayer has helped her to rise above the imminent and dire initial expectations. We cannot stop now, we have so far to go yet.”
In a later Feb. 17 update, Edmonds thanked supporters for their stories and prayers, and said that though she may not respond, she reads them and reads them to Maya, too.
“The rollercoaster of emotions hit me like a tsunami and now I feel as though I have leveled into still water…. numbness…”
On Day 7 of Maya’s hospitalization, Edmonds writes that they’ve moved into a new phase: “one for recovery, instead of goodbyes.” She expressed hope for Maya and “unwavering” faith, while acknowledging “that she won’t be opening her eyes anytime soon.”
Maya’s right side still isn’t moving, which Edmonds said the doctors compared to a stroke “and will never come back. I would prefer to argue, of course. However, I don’t think I have that in me at this time. Just know that, the stories, the love, the support and admiration for our powerhouse of a girl is not lost, I see you. We feel you,” she posted, along with a Vancouver address to send cards for Maya’s recovery room. “We can decorate.”
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