Tumbler Ridge shooting victim’s family reports operation success

TUMBLER RIDGE, B.C. — The cranioplasty for a prosthetic skull for a Tumbler Ridge Secondary School shooting victim was a success. 

In an update posted to Maya Gebala’s GoFundMe page on April May 6th, David Gebala, Maya’s father, has said that Maya’s cranioplasty was a success. 

According to an update on the GoFundMe, the initial surgery was scheduled to happen in March, but it did not happen as Maya developed complications.  

Maya was one of the Tumbler Ridge Secondary School shooting victims who was airlifted to the B.C. Children’s Hospital in Vancouver after she suffered gunshot wounds to her head and neck during the February 10th shooting in Tumbler Ridge. 

In the update, David said: “The surgery took a little longer than expected, but the team took their time to ensure everything was done carefully and we were completely okay with that.” 

He added that although Maya shows no visible signs of infection, she had six weeks ago.  

“We know we’re not entirely out of the woods yet, there are always risks with a synthetic implant.” 

David explained Maya has developed hydrocephalus again, which he said explains the head swelling Maya experienced while in rehabilitation. 

Hydrocephalus is the buildup of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles of the brain. 

“There are many documented cases where cranioplasty helps restore normal brain pressures, allowing the hydrocephalus to resolve on its own,” David noted. 

To support Maya’s brain pressure, an external ventricular drain (EVD) has been placed to manage pressure changes and protect the incision site as it heals. 

David said Maya will have five days of initial healing, followed by five days of gradually increasing the EVD challenge. 

“Our hope is that over the next 10 days and beyond, her hydrocephalus will subside naturally so she can avoid another surgery for a shunt,” he said. “Right after surgery, we were amazed to see Maya open her eye and lift her head to look around, showing incredible strength so soon after such a major procedure.” 

David updated that throughout the day, Maya continued to regain her “pre-surgery spark, moving her hand and leg, squeezing our fingers, and looking around with curiosity.” 

“Our sweet, innocent little girl has been through so much,” David added. “It breaks my heart to watch her endure all of this, but at the same time, I’ve never been more proud of what a fighter she is.”