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Maya Gebala, who survived being shot in the head during a mass shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, celebrated her 13th birthday in Vancouver over the weekend as her recovery continues.
Gebala’s parents have been sharing her recovery journey in Facebook updates, and over the weekend, they posted multiple photos showcasing her celebrations — which included bowling, air hockey and attending a Foo Fighters concert at B.C. Place.
“[Thirteen] looks different but you wear it well,” wrote mother Cia Edmonds in a post showcasing some of the activities.
“I am watching you become someone new, again and again… Thank you for staying with us.”
Father David Gebala later posted a photo of his daughter making the rock symbol with her hand outside B.C. Place following a Foo Fighters concert, thanking the venue and local rock station CFOX for making it happen.
“It was truly a night to remember,” he said.
Other posts also show Gebala blowing out the candles on a birthday cake — another major step forward for someone who was unable to move just months earlier after a traumatic brain injury.
While the family has not been speaking to media, details of Gebala’s injuries have been shared online and in lawsuits filed in California against tech firm OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman over their alleged roles in the mass shooting that claimed multiple lives in February.
Documents filed in court in April 2026 say Gebala was shot three times and that a bullet struck her skull and “shattered bone fragments through her brain.”
“She is awake and aware, and she recognizes her mother’s voice and face, but she cannot move her body and she cannot speak,” the lawsuit says.
“If M.G. survives, she will tragically live the rest of her life like this, with catastrophic brain injuries and permanent disabilities.”
In May, her family said she had undergone surgery for a cranioplasty, which involved installing a prosthetic barrier to quell swelling and deflation in Gebala’s head that was a symptom of her damaged skull.
It was the fifth surgery Gebala had gone through since the February shooting, and in the time since, the family has shared video of her on various outings throughout Vancouver, as she is no longer confined to B.C. Children’s Hospital where she has been receiving her treatment.
Other recent posts show Gebala communicating with her family and waving to the camera.
On Monday, the B.C. government announced it is filing its own lawsuit against OpenAI for the alleged role the tech company played in the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting that resulted in Gebala’s injuries.
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