Mom of Tumbler Ridge victim ‘overwhelmed’ by constant mail

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The mother of a victim critically injured in the Tumbler Ridge school shooting said she has been “overwhelmed” by constant letters and packages mailed each day.

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Cia Edmonds also said on social media that her 12-year-old daughter Maya Gebala is “deteriorating mentally and physically” as she remains in hospital a month after the shooting.

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The mother said while she recognized the public’s positivity following the tragic incident that claimed nine lives, including that of the shooter, in the small British Columbia community, she is asking anyone who still wants to send mail to “kindly hold off.”

“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 shared Thursday on Facebook.

Family inundated with mail

Edmonds joked she is going to need a storage unit after saying her family received more than 1,500 pieces of mail after sharing her address online, with letters coming in packs of 50 daily.

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“We aren’t able to get through it fast enough,” she wrote. “It is literally everywhere. Especially since Maya has not been doing well in the past week.”

She also asked her followers to pray for her daughter.

“I’ve never been a religious person. However, I can recognize the positive shift when there is collective love and positivity.”

Edmonds and David Gebala marked one month since their daughter was injured in the mass shooting in separate online posts earlier this week.

She shared photos of her daughter’s arm on the first day in hospital and a month later.

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Father living in state of limbo

Gebala said on Facebook the “days have blurred together so much that I’m not even sure where the time goes,” adding he lives in a state of limbo as he stays by his daughter’s side.

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“When I look at Maya, I know she’s still in there, and we just keep hoping for the best version of her,” he continued. “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.”

Gebala said his mind drifts to the other children in the school on that day, haunted by the thoughts of how scared they must have been as well as the screaming and crying.

“No one is ever prepared for something like this,” he wrote.

Admitting he is not someone who shares what is going on in his mind, Gebala said he will seek help.

“Right now it feels like I’m losing parts of myself and constantly searching for distractions to hide what I’m feeling,” he said.

“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.”

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