Maya Gebala survived the Tumbler Ridge school shooting, and her family is now dealing with another brutal reality: they still do not have stable housing.
The 12-year-old hockey player became a symbol of strength after the February tragedy at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia.
Months later, that recovery story has taken a painful turn.
The attack claimed 9 lives and injured 27 others. Maya, a defender with the Tumbler Ridge Raptors under-13 team, suffered severe head and neck injuries from flying debris and was rushed to Vancouver Children's Hospital in critical condition.
Her mother, Cia Edmonds, stayed by her side through that stretch, trying to process how a normal school day became a life-altering disaster.
At the time, Maya was described as “one of the lucky ones.” That line hit hard then, and it hits even harder now.
Support poured in from the hockey world.
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Hayley Wickenheiser shared a GoFundMe and urged people to “do your thing,” a sign of how quickly the sport can rally when one of its own is hurting.
The recovery didn't end at the hospital for the Febala family
According to the report, the Gebala family has been living “between a car and a couch” while trying to find housing in Canada.
That's the new crisis hanging over a family already pushed to the limit.
Edmonds has also said the family does not qualify for possible government benefits.
That leaves them trying to manage the fallout without the support they expected might be there.
In a town like Tumbler Ridge, hockey is part of the daily fabric. It is where people gather, where kids grow up, and where families lean on each other when everything else feels shaky.
Mayor Darryl Krakowka said after the tragedy that nearly everyone in town had some personal connection to it. That helps explain why Maya's story still carries so much weight.
This is what often gets lost after the first wave of headlines. The emergency passes, the public attention fades, and families are left to deal with the long grind on their own.
For Maya Gebala, surviving was only the first part. Her family is still searching for a place to land, and that fight is far from over.
Should more long-term support be guaranteed for families after tragedies like this?
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