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Maya Gebala 'gets to experience life again' as family shares hopeful updates
Tumbler Ridge shooting survivor Maya Gebala’s condition has improved enough that she was able to leave B.C. Children’s Hospital over the weekend for a day out at a botanical garden in Vancouver.
Maya’s father, David Gebala, shared the update in a Facebook post on Saturday, alongside a collection of photos showing the 12-year-old at Bloedel Conservatory.
“This is the farthest we’ve been from the hospital with Maya in quite some time. It feels really good to step away, even if it’s just for a little while,” he captioned the post.
Meanwhile, Maya’s mother, Cia Edmonds, reshared one of the Facebook videos, captioning it: “Now that we can leave hospital grounds, she gets to experience life again.”
The trip comes amid several social media posts shared by Maya’s parents indicating that her condition continues to improve. On Friday, David shared photos showing Maya smiling while sitting in her wheelchair in a sunny parking lot. He captioned the post: “Look who gets to leave the hospital grounds! Many more walks to come with this amazing weather.”
In another update on Sunday, Maya’s father posted a video of the 12-year-old pushing an elevator button in the hospital. He wrote: “Mornings are my favorite with Maya. She’s wide awake, bright-eyed, and so wonderfully responsive. I’m still in awe of how much she’s improved over the past few months especially just this week alone. I love you so much, my sweet baby girl.”
Mornings are my favorite with Maya. She’s wide awake, bright-eyed, and so wonderfully responsive. I’m still in awe of how much she’s improved over the past few months especially just this week alone. I love you so much, my sweet baby girl. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/yRxWwQyhyN
— David Gebala (@DavidGebala) June 14, 2026
David also shared a video of what he said was “ one of our first intentional smiles,” as well as an update on the condition of Maya’s left eye.
“The doctors diagnosed a left cranial nerve palsy, specifically involving the third cranial nerve,” he wrote. “This nerve helps control the eye’s ability to move inward (toward the nose) and upward. Because all the nerves work together, they don’t believe this will be completely debilitating it may just make the eye a little ‘lazier’ than the other.”
He added that “there is communications between both eyes” and the doctors “are optimistic that she can see out of her left eye as well.”
Look who gets to leave the hospital grounds! ❤️ many more walks to come with this amazing weather pic.twitter.com/hswsjGkDxG
— David Gebala (@DavidGebala) June 13, 2026
Maya has been undergoing treatment at B.C. Children’s Hospital in Vancouver after she was shot by Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, during a mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge. Six people were killed at a school and two others in the shooter’s home during the attack.
The latest updates come after Maya’s mother shared a heartbreaking message on a GoFundMe page informing supporters that the family has been struggling to find appropriate housing in Canada.
“It has been nearly impossible to acquire housing. knowing she will likely be in a wheelchair,” reads an update posted on behalf of Edmonds on May 29.
She added that the family doesn’t qualify for the “list of potential benefits covered for traumatized families searching for a new normal in an unthinkable situation.”
She wrote: “Turns out, legislation is written in such a way, we don’t qualify. So all and any expenses are left to be fulfilled by any organizations holding donations, that has literally saved us so far.
“So, with that, accommodations have become too much, and we live between the back of my car and a couch in the hospital. Hoping we find a place that fits all our requirements sometime soon.”
However, Edmonds shared a follow-up on her Facebook on June 2, clarifying that she’s not actually living in a car, it’s “where (her) stuff is” and that she chose to sleep on a couch in Maya’s room because she would rather be with her than pay for an Airbnb.
She added that while there is housing available, she is looking for somewhere that suits the family long-term, writing that she wants “to find something with more forest than sirens” to avoid triggers, and, because Maya will be in a wheelchair, there is “a lot to consider” when searching for a permanent home.
In another update on her Facebook page , Edmonds shared the family had been unable to relocate to L.A., despite previously accepting an offer from Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White to pay for Maya’s treatment and the family’s accommodation in the city, because Maya was “too fragile” to risk travelling.
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