CITYnews halifax : ‘Incredible strides’: 12-year-old Tumbler Ridge shooting victim leaves hospital, starts communicating with tablet

CITYnews halifax / By Emma Crawford

Maya Gebala’s family has some good news to share.

The 12-year-old girl, who was badly injured in the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting in February, has begun communicating with the use of a tablet.

Maya’s mother, Cia Edmonds, says her daughter has made “incredible strides” in her recovery, just over the past week.

“It just clicked. Her responses, her reactions. I made her a ‘yes/no’ button set she’s learned to use,” the post says.

“I found an app on her iPad for non-verbal communications. She’s learned to be more deliberate with that as well.”

This development comes just days after Edmonds posted that Maya had been able to leave the hospital, where she had been living since the tragic event.

“Now that we can leave hospital grounds, she gets to experience life again,” she said.

Her daughter’s recovery hasn’t been straightforward, however. Edmonds has posted that Maya has had at least five surgeries, including having a prosthetic skull piece installed.

Maya was shot three times, including in the head and neck, during the Feb. 10 attack in which eight victims were killed.