Tumbler Ridge shooting victim makes ‘incredible improvement’

TUMBLER RIDGE, B.C. — A victim of the Tumbler Ridge Secondary School shooting is making “incredible improvement” as she recovers. 

That’s according to an update posted on Facebook, Maya Gebala’s father said her CT scans have been the “clearest” they have seen. 

Maya was one of the two victims airlifted to BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver after being shot by 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar in Tumbler Ridge on February 10th. 

The shooting claimed the lives of nine people, including Rootselaar and Rootselaar’s mother and stepbrother, who are believed to have been her first victims.

A GoFundMe page was set up for Maya and as of March 6th at 10.24 a.m., it has raised $489,123 in donations. 

The page was set up to support Maya through her recovery and allow her mother Cia Edmonds to be by Maya’s side without financial concern. 

Maya’s father David Gebala said: “The surgeon showed us her latest CT scans last night, and they are some of the clearest we’ve seen yet.

“What an incredible improvement from the earlier ones.” 

David has been sharing updates of Maya’s recovery through his Facebook account. 

“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,” he updated. 

During the shooting, Maya suffered gun shots to her head and neck. 

“She’s been fairly active, moving the left side of her body, and she even pushed herself up using the foot of the bed!” he wrote. 

Although she is not in the clear yet, David said: “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! It might seem little but it’s a lot for her! And huge for all of us.” 

David thanked the community for the continued love and support Maya has received. 

He said: “It truly means everything to our family, and we’ll continue to share updates as we can.” 

To donate to Maya’s GoFundMe, click here. To see GoFundMe’s for all the victims of the tragedy, visit GoFundMe’s Tumbler Ridge Shooting Relief page.