Maya Gebala, the survivor of the tragic Tumbler Ridge school shooting, may have undergone her fifth and final surgery on Monday. Her mother, Cia Edmonds, shared a hopeful update on Facebook, revealing that the procedure aimed to install a prosthetic skull piece.
Hopeful Update from Maya's Mother
"If all goes GREAT it could be her last surgery. Keep us in your thoughts please," wrote Edmonds. She described the challenging week leading up to the surgery, noting that the portion of Maya's head where the missing flap is located had "swollen, deflated, and swollen again." Edmonds expressed the difficulty of watching this process without understanding the cause.
Ongoing Health Struggles
In the weeks prior to surgery, Maya had been vomiting almost daily for no clear reason. "No assumed cause has been consistent. There's speculations of course, but nothing is known, the brain is a mystery," Edmonds wrote. The new prosthetic is expected to enforce increased pressure to minimize cerebral fluid flow, with hopes that it will regulate itself over time and relieve pressure on Maya's eye.
Edmonds also hopes the prosthetic will allow Maya to open her left eye and potentially smile again. She shared a photo array showing the changing pressures in Maya's head over the previous week.
Background and Support
This surgery follows the family's decision in early April to transfer Maya to a hospital in Los Angeles for further treatment. UFC president Dana White offered to cover medical and family costs, an offer the family accepted. However, by late April, the move had not occurred as Maya was not medically stable enough for transfer. Maya remains at BC Children's Hospital in Vancouver.
Maya suffered significant brain damage after being shot by Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, during a mass shooting on February 10 in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., where six people were killed at a school and two others in a home. Edmonds concluded her post with a request for love and support: "Send your love. We appreciate it more than you know."
