12-year-old Tumbler Ridge shooting survivor now communicating via tablet
Maya Gebala has left hospital after being shot three times in February's mass attack. She's learning to use communication apps with her iPad.
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Maya Gebala, the 12-year-old wounded in the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting in February, has left hospital and begun communicating using a tablet, her mother said this week.
Maya was shot three times—including in the head and neck—during the Feb. 10 attack that killed eight victims. She has since undergone at least five surgeries, including installation of a prosthetic skull piece.
Her mother, Cia Edmonds, posted that Maya made "incredible strides" in recent days after discharge. "It just clicked. Her responses, her reactions," Edmonds wrote, describing how she created a yes/no button set her daughter learned to use.
Edmonds found a non-verbal communication app on Maya's iPad and says her daughter has grown more deliberate in using it. "Now that we can leave hospital grounds, she gets to experience life again," she said.