Dana White provides update on bid to fund U.S. care for Tumbler Ridge victim Maya Gebala

VANCOUVER — UFC president Dana White says efforts to secure advanced medical care for Tumbler Ridge, B.C., school shooting survivor Maya Gebala have proven far more complicated than expected..White provided his first public comments on the matter Saturday following UFC Fight Night in Winnipeg, where he addressed reporters at the post-fight news conference.“I saw it on the news, and I reached out to the family. That was it,” White said. “I would like to help in any way that I can. Obviously, the situation that she’s in, when you’re a parent, you want the best possible care.”Gebala, 12, was shot in the head and neck during the February 10 mass shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School.Her mother, Cia Edmonds, has publicly documented her daughter’s recovery, noting she has been moved out of intensive care at B.C. Children’s Hospital in Vancouver after overcoming initial grim prognoses and infections. .In March, White offered to cover all costs for Gebala’s treatment at a top-tier hospital in Los Angeles — including accommodations for her family — after learning of the case through news reports.The family indicated it would accept the offer for aggressive rehab in southern California, and Gebala’s name has appeared on the UFC octagon at events for months as a show of support."After many nights of research, questioning, and fear of the unknown, we decided to say yes to an opportunity for an aggressive approach to her rehabilitation through privatized health care," wrote Edmonds in a Facebook post updating the public on her daughter.White said the family is determined to give their daughter the best possible chance and that options include leading facilities in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Houston and Seattle.“We’re still sort of working through all that,” he said. “It’s not as easy as it sounds, ‘oh some guy with money jumps in and everything just happens.’ It’s not that easy. You would be f---ing disgusted to know how hard it really is. So me and my team have been working on it.”It remains unclear what specific obstacles Dana White was referring to when he described the process of securing advanced care for Maya Gebala as far more complicated than “some guy with money jumps in and everything just happens.”.White declined to elaborate publicly or criticize any party involved, saying only that he and his UFC team — including Senior Vice-President of Communications Lenee Breckenridge and Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell — were continuing to work through options at leading facilities in Los Angeles, Houston and Seattle.No precise timeline has been set for Gebala’s potential transfer, which remains dependent on her medical stability.The comments came at UFC Fight Night: Burns vs. Malott at the Canada Life Centre, where Conservative Leader and Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre was among the attendees and was seen chatting ringside with White..Canadian welterweight Mike Malott headlined the card in front of a partisan hometown crowd and earned a third-round TKO victory over Gilbert Burns.

Dana White provides update on bid to fund U.S. care for Tumbler Ridge victim Maya Gebala

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