A nation is in mourning, tears streaming across Canada and beyond, as the tiny mountain town of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, grapples with unimaginable horror. What began as an ordinary Tuesday morning on February 10, 2026 — kids grabbing backpacks, laughing in hallways, teachers prepping lessons — shattered into Canada’s worst school mᴀssacre in decades when an 18-year-old gunman unleashed terror at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School. Eight lives stolen forever. Dozens wounded. And now, the gut-punch update no family should ever hear: brave 12-year-old Maya Gebala (known to many as Maya Edmonds) — the heroic girl who tried to lock out the shooter and shield her classmates — is not expected to survive her catastrophic injuries.
Her mother, Cia Edmonds, has been a pillar of raw, unbreakable love at Vancouver Children’s Hospital, clinging to every flicker of hope since her daughter was airlifted from the remote community in critical condition. SH๏τ multiple times in the head and neck — at least three devastating wounds — Maya fought fiercely through emergency surgery and days in intensive care. Doctors induced a coma to give her brain a chance, but the damage proved too severe. In a soul-crushing update that has left the world sobbing, Cia shared the doctors’ grim prognosis: her baby girl will not make it. Yet even in this darkest hour, Cia’s words pierce the grief like a beacon: “I can feel her in my heart… she’s still with me, even if her body can’t keep going.”
The nightmare unfolded in seconds. Jesse Van Rootselaar (also reported as Jesse Strang in some accounts), 18, first killed his own mother, Jennifer Strang, 39, and 11-year-old half-brother at their family home before storming the school armed and determined. Witnesses describe chaos: screams echoing through corridors, students barricading classrooms, teachers shielding kids with their bodies. Maya was in the library with her classmates when the gunfire erupted. As panic exploded, the outgoing seventh-grader — described by family as vibrant, sporty, and full of life, especially loving ice hockey — sprang into action. With friends, she desperately tried to slam and lock the library door to keep the shooter out. It was an act of pure courage beyond her years. But the gunman found them. Bullets tore through, striking Maya in the head and neck as she fought to protect others.
Rushed by helicopter to Vancouver Children’s Hospital, Maya battled valiantly. Her parents, Cia Edmonds and David Gebala, never left her side. Early updates brought glimmers: small movements in her limbs, a twitch of her hand, a kick — signs that fueled desperate hope. “She’s moved… it’s stimulus, but it’s something!” Cia posted, her voice trembling with fragile optimism. A GoFundMe launched to support Maya’s recovery skyrocketed past $100,000, with hockey legend Hayley Wickenheiser among donors. The family begged for prayers, urging Canadians to rally around all victims without politicizing the tragedy. Cia even expressed compᴀssion for the shooter’s mother — another victim in the carnage — pleading for kindness amid the pain.
But as days turned into agonizing hours, reality crashed in. Doctors warned of irreversible brain damage. Sedation was lifted, pain managed, but Maya’s tiny body couldn’t overcome the trauma. The final words from her mother — shared in hushed, tear-soaked posts — have broken hearts everywhere: “Our baby needs a miracle… I can feel her in my heart.” It’s a mother’s eternal bond refusing to let go, even as medical science says goodbye is near. Maya’s story has become the emotional epicenter of a grieving nation: a child who embodied bravery, now slipping away in a hospital bed far from the snowy peaks of Tumbler Ridge.
The full toll is staggering. Eight confirmed ᴅᴇᴀᴅ: young students like 12-year-old Kylie Smith, Abel Mwansa, Ezekiel Schofield, Zoey Benoit, Ticaria Lampert; educator Shannda Aviugana-Durand, 39; and the shooter’s family members. Over 25 others injured, some critically — including another teen, Paige Hoekstra, recovering after surgery. RCMP revealed the shooter died by self-inflicted wound after the rampage, ending the immediate threat but leaving endless questions. No clear motive has emerged; police say it appeared random, the gunman “hunting” through the school without specific targets.
Tumbler Ridge — a close-knit coal-mining community of just a few thousand — is shattered. Vigils lit the night skies, teddy bears and hockey sticks piled at memorials. Prime Minister statements flooded in with condolences, calls for unity, and renewed debates on gun control in a country that prides itself on safety. But for Maya’s family, statistics mean nothing. Their little girl — the one who smiled wide, played hard, dreamed big — is fading. Cia’s posts capture the torment: from initial shock (“This doesn’t even feel real”) to fragile hope (“She’s still fighting”) to this devastating acceptance wrapped in unbreakable love.
Canada weeps for Maya. For the classmates who witnessed horror. For parents who sent kids to school and never imagined this. The shooting has reopened wounds from past tragedies, forcing a nation to confront violence in its schools once more. Yet amid the darkness, Maya’s courage shines: a 12-year-old who chose to act, to protect, to stand up when terror struck. Her mother feels her spirit strong — a testament that love endures beyond the body.
As machines beep and monitors fade, one thing remains certain: Maya Gebala touched countless lives in her short time. Prayers pour in from coast to coast. A GoFundMe now shifts to comfort and legacy. And in every heart that breaks for her, Maya lives on — brave, beautiful, unforgettable.
Rest in peace, sweet Maya. Your light will never dim. Your mother feels you… and so does a grieving nation.
