VANCOUVER – Maya Gebala, the young girl who has been fighting a serious medical battle since being shot in the head and neck during the February 10 Tumbler Ridge mass shooting tragedy, has been moved out of the paediatric intensive care unit into a recovery and rehabilitation-focused unit, her father reported Tuesday..It has now been 26 hours since Maya’s external ventricular drain was removed for the second time, with positive signs emerging.Her father noted reduced pain, returning energy, and improved color in her face. Maya’s movements are becoming more intentional, though she continues to try kicking off the boot protecting a pressure sore on her heel.Following a challenging period in the intensive care unit marked by highs and lows, the family is seeing gradual progress.In a particularly emotional moment, occupational therapy and physiotherapy teams assisted Maya in sitting up on the edge of the bed — her first time using her own muscles for support.For her father, the milestone allowed him to embrace his daughter in a tight hug for the first time in weeks..Gebala suffered a catastrophic brain injury after being shot in the head and neck during the rampage by 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar. The attack killed eight people — including five students, a teacher, and the shooter’s mother and half-brother — and wounded 27 others before Van Rootselaar took his own life. Maya’s mother, Cia Edmonds, also shared an update Tuesday, correcting earlier public narratives that had portrayed Maya as attempting to lock a classroom door to protect others.She emphasized that the entire incident unfolded in just three minutes, with police arriving after two minutes, leaving students and staff little time to react..“Although the story of ‘Maya the hero’ is an amazing tribute, she just doesn’t need that badge,” Edmonds wrote. “I would never want that to ever take from the adults and children who jumped in to do their best while they lived a nightmare most of us could never, for a second, imagine. THOSE are heros... TRUE heros.”She highlighted the courage of teachers, students and first responders who acted during the chaos, including efforts to save wounded classmates, and expressed deep gratitude for the love and prayers supporting Maya, whom medical staff have called a “true miracle.”Maya's mother and father have provided the public with regular updates on their daughter's condition since the tragedy unfolded in February..A GoFundMe for Maya and her recovery has generated more than $500,000 in donations as of Wednesday morning.The family has also received a major boost from UFC president Dana White, who has offered to fully cover Maya’s medical treatment at a specialized brain-trauma clinic in Los Angeles, including accommodation and travel costs for the family once she is stable enough to transfer.
