Tumbler Ridge School Shooting Survivor Leaves Hospital After 262 Days

A 13-year-old girl critically wounded in the mass shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in February was released from hospital after 262 days of recovery.

Maya Gebala was airlifted to B.C. Children's Hospital on Feb. 10 after being shot three times during the attack in the small mining town in British Columbia.

The massacre claimed eight lives, including six children, before the shooter died, marking one of the deadliest school attacks in Canadian history.

Doctors initially told her family that she was unlikely to survive the first night after she emerged from surgery with catastrophic brain injuries.

Her father, David Gebala, shared an emotional social media post Thursday detailing his daughter's long journey and final discharge from the hospital.

"There was never a day I stopped believing we would get here," David Gebala wrote, according to CNN and Global News.

"The road ahead is still long, but this is a milestone no one thought we would reach."

The teenager underwent five surgeries during her hospital stay, including a cranioplasty procedure in May to install a prosthetic skull.

Her recovery milestones included opening her eye, breathing on her own, smiling intentionally during a game of thumb war and hearing her voice again.

She also celebrated her 13th birthday in September by attending a Foo Fighters concert at B.C. Place.

The family's legal representation filed lawsuits in California against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman, accusing the company of negligence.

The complaints allege that the 18-year-old shooter used ChatGPT to plan the attack, prompting additional legal action from the province of British Columbia.

OpenAI has asked for the lawsuits to be dismissed and stated that the company maintains a zero-tolerance policy for violence.

It remains unclear whether the family will permanently relocate to Vancouver so the teenager can continue receiving specialized outpatient care.