Mother of Tumbler Ridge Shooting Victim Overwhelmed by Constant Mail Influx
The mother of a critically injured victim from the tragic Tumbler Ridge school shooting has revealed she feels completely overwhelmed by the constant stream of letters and packages arriving daily at her home. Cia Edmonds, whose 12-year-old daughter Maya Gebala remains hospitalized with serious injuries, made the emotional disclosure on social media this week.
Daughter's Condition Continues to Deteriorate
In her heartfelt Facebook post, Edmonds shared the distressing news that Maya is "deteriorating mentally and physically" as she continues her recovery journey more than a month after the February 10, 2026 shooting that claimed nine lives in the small British Columbia community. The devastating incident included the shooter among those killed, leaving the tight-knit town reeling from unimaginable trauma.
"We are extremely grateful for an overwhelming amount of support and love for Maya, and some for us, and some for Dahlia. We are so overwhelmed," Edmonds wrote in her Thursday social media update, expressing both appreciation and exhaustion from the constant public attention.
Family Receives Over 1,500 Pieces of Mail
The scale of public response has become physically overwhelming for the grieving family. Edmonds revealed they have received more than 1,500 pieces of mail since sharing their address online, with letters arriving in batches of approximately fifty per day. The volume has become so substantial that Edmonds joked she might need to rent a storage unit just to manage the correspondence.
"We aren't able to get through it fast enough," she explained in her post. "It is literally everywhere. Especially since Maya has not been doing well in the past week."
Public Asked to Temporarily Halt Mail
While deeply appreciative of the community's support and positive intentions, Edmonds has made a direct request to the public. She is asking anyone who still wishes to send mail to "kindly hold off" temporarily, allowing the family much-needed space to focus on Maya's critical medical needs during this challenging period.
The mother acknowledged the public's desire to show support following the tragedy but emphasized the practical difficulties of managing such an enormous volume of correspondence while caring for her seriously injured daughter.
Father Describes Living in "State of Limbo"
In a separate but equally poignant social media post, Maya's father David Gebala described living in what he called a "state of limbo" as he remains constantly by his daughter's hospital bedside. Gebala shared that the days have blurred together so completely that he struggles to track time passing.
"When I look at Maya, I know she's still in there, and we just keep hoping for the best version of her," he wrote emotionally. "It's a day-by-day battle. I try to stay strong for everyone around me, but the truth is the weight of it all is crushing."
Haunting Memories and Seeking Help
Gebala revealed that his mind frequently drifts back to the other children who were present during the school shooting, haunted by thoughts of their fear and the traumatic sounds of screaming and crying that filled the halls that day. "No one is ever prepared for something like this," he acknowledged with heartbreaking honesty.
In a significant personal revelation, Gebala admitted that while he has never been someone who easily shares his inner thoughts, he has decided to seek professional trauma counseling. "Right now it feels like I'm losing parts of myself and constantly searching for distractions to hide what I'm feeling," he confessed. "I've never really been someone who opens up easily, but I'm going to try. I'm going to seek trauma counselling and take that step forward."
Spiritual Support Requested
Edmonds also made a special request for spiritual support, asking followers to pray for her daughter despite not considering herself particularly religious. "I've never been a religious person. However, I can recognize the positive shift when there is collective love and positivity," she explained, highlighting her openness to any form of positive energy that might aid her daughter's recovery.
The family marked the painful one-month anniversary of the shooting earlier this week with separate online posts. Edmonds shared comparative photographs showing Maya's arm on her first day in the hospital alongside a more recent image, visually documenting the difficult journey her daughter continues to endure.
