Maya Gebala, who survived the horrific mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., has been released from hospital—262 days after she was airlifted to B.C. Children’s Hospital.
Gebala’s father David shared the update in a social media post Thursday.
“There was never a day I stopped believing we would get here. The road ahead is still long, but this is a milestone no one thought we would reach. Maya, you are the bravest person I know. You are an inspiration to so many people. Giving up was never an option for me, and it clearly never was for you either,” he wrote.
“Look at you, my girl. You blew every expectation out of the water.”
David also shared a video of his daughter reacting to the news that she would finally be going home.
David’s post outlined multiple surgeries and alarming setbacks as well as the milestones his daughter hit during her prolonged hospital stay, including the moment Maya breathed on her own, opened her eyes and spoke for the first time after the shooting.
“Thank you to the incredible nurses, doctors, and therapists who walked every step of this with us. Thank you to everyone who supported Maya and our family. We could not have done this without each and every one of you,” David wrote.
“Now it’s time to leave these hospital walls behind and keep moving forward.”
On Feb. 10, the 18-year-old shooter killed six people inside Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, as well as two family members at a second location, before dying of self-inflicted gun-wounds.
