Tumbler Ridge shooting survivor Maya Gebala leaves hospital for Vancouver garden visit

Twelve-year-old Maya Gebala, shot during the February Tumbler Ridge school attack, made her first day trip from B.C. Children's Hospital. Her family shared photos and updates on her slow but encouraging recovery.

Maya Gebala visits Bloedel Conservatory in first outing since Tumbler Ridge shooting

Toronto Sun Crime reports that Maya Gebala, 12, was able to leave B.C. Children's Hospital on Saturday for a day trip to the Bloedel Conservatory in Vancouver — her first excursion away from the hospital grounds since she was shot in the Tumbler Ridge killing spree last February.

Her father, David, shared the news in a Facebook post. "This is the farthest we've been from the hospital with Maya in quite some time," he wrote. "It feels really good to step away, even if it's just for a little while."

The Bloedel Conservatory sits at the city's highest point and houses tropical birds, koi fish and more than 500 exotic plants within a temperature-controlled dome. Maya's mother, Cia Edmonds, also posted a video of the outing. "Now that we can leave hospital grounds, she gets to experience life again," Edmonds said.

Eight killed in February attack at Tumbler Ridge Secondary

Maya was shot by 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar during a killing spree that drew worldwide attention. Rootselaar killed eight people in total — six at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and two relatives at his home. Maya has been receiving treatment at B.C. Children's Hospital since the attack.

The day trip to the conservatory followed a series of encouraging social media posts from her father, including photographs of Maya in her wheelchair, smiling on sunny days in Vancouver. "Look who gets to leave the hospital grounds!" David wrote. "Many more walks to come with this amazing weather."

The day after the conservatory visit, he posted again. "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."

Cranial nerve diagnosis among ongoing challenges

Despite the positive signs, Maya continues to face medical hurdles. David disclosed in an update that doctors have diagnosed a left cranial nerve palsy affecting the third cranial nerve, which controls the eye's ability to move inward and upward.

"They don't believe this will be completely debilitating; it may just make the eye a little 'lazier' than the other," David wrote. He added that doctors "are optimistic that she can see out of her left eye as well" and that there is communication between both eyes.

GoFundMe campaign nears $578,000 goal

More than four months after the shooting, David reflected on his daughter's progress in a post to the family's GoFundMe page. "I'm so incredibly proud of the strides you've made. Being with you every single day, I sometimes lose sight of just how far you've truly come. To think about everything we've been through — the unthinkable — and to see where we are today… I still can't believe it."

As of Tuesday afternoon, the campaign had raised $577,970 of its $650,000 goal. Donations remain open.

Source: Toronto Sun Crime