Maya Gebala's mother shares bad news in latest update: 'In a second, he was gone'

Cia Edmonds, the mother of 12-year-old Tumbler Ridge shooting survivor Maya Gebala, has lost her dog.

The mother of two, who posts on social media under the name “Cia Later,” recently changed her Facebook cover photo and profile picture to include images of what looks to be a small French bulldog, along with a sad story.

“I’m sorry I didn’t fix that fence my boy,” she begins in the recent post. “He was unfortunately too good at escaping. A small town boy, didn’t know a city.”

She adds: “I brought him to the hospital to see Maya, almost everyday. Yesterday though, I brought maya home to us. We were throwing a ball for him in the back yard, then in a second, he was gone…. Within minutes, he was hit by a car.”

She adds thanks to a woman who stopped, saying: “It isn’t your fault, thank you for showing compassion. He was just a little guy, and his injuries were bigger. I sat with him last night, and rubbed his ears, while he fell asleep for good….Bye little man. We’ll miss you. I hope you’re running free now, with nothing to hold you back.”

Maya has been undergoing treatment at B.C. Children’s Hospital in Vancouver since she was shot by Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, during a mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., on Feb. 10 this year. Six people were killed at a school and two others in the shooter’s home during the attack.

Last month Maya’s father, David Gebala, wrote that her condition had improved enough that she was able to leave the hospital for a day out at a nearby botanical garden. His update in a Facebook post included a collection of photos showing the girl at Bloedel Conservatory.

Around the same time, her mother shared news that Maya’s condition had been improving steadily and that she had started communicating with the use of a tablet.

“In the past week or so, Maya had made some incredible strides,” her mom wrote. “It just clicked. Her responses, her reactions. I made her a ‘yes/no’ button set she’s learned to use. I found an app on her iPad for non verbal communications. She’s learned to be more deliberate with that as well.”

• More than 10,000 anti-LGBTQ posts made by Canadians day after Tumbler Ridge shooting, memo says
• Maya Gebala has started communicating using a tablet in what her mom calls 'incredible strides'

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