BURST
Tuesday “started as any other” for Tumbler Ridge, B.C, mom Cia Edmonds, but within hours she was sitting in the Vancouver children’s hospital with her 12-year-old daughter, Maya, “fighting for her life” due to gunshot injuries to her head and neck.
The little girl was one of many people injured in a mass shooting Tuesday that left nine people dead and 27 injured.
Maya Gebala “was a lucky one, I suppose,” her mother posted on Facebook .
“Condolences to the other families during this tragedy. This doesn’t even feel real. I never thought I would be asking for prayers. But please, pray for my baby.”
Maya’s mom posted an update Wednesday on her daughter’s condition. “We were warned that the damage to her brain was too much for her to endure, and she wouldn’t make the night,” Edmonds said. The mom posted a photograph of her daughter lying in a hospital bed with her eyes closed. Maya has a black eye, her head is bandaged and she is wearing a neck brace and is hooked up to life support machines.
“I can feel her in my heart,” she said. “I can feel her saying its going to be ok.”
Edmonds said she “cannot reply to the mountain of messages we’ve received, but know we are so grateful for all the love and support … She’s here … for how long we don’t know.”
The mass shooting has left the community of Tumbler Ridge “shattered,” Edmonds said.
“Our baby needs a miracle,” she said. My heart bleeds for everyone who is trying to process this horrific string of events. Far too many are grieving already. Please. Wish her luck.”
A GoFundMe campaign set up by the mom’s cousin, Krysta Hunt, said “recovery time is unknown. All we know is that Maya made it through transport from Tumbler Ridge to Vancouver Children’s Hospital and (is) currently in critical care.”
Hunt indicated she started the fundraiser “to provide relief for Cia and Maya during this devastating time.”
It had raised more than $97,000 by 5 p.m. ET.
“This support will provide support for Maya through her recovery. And allow for Cia to be by her side without financial concern,” Hunt said in the fundraiser.
The family did not respond to interview requests sent Wednesday.
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