The family of one of the victims of the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting is struggling with paying for accommodations as they stay near their daughter in the hospital.
Twelve-year-old Maya Gebala has been in Vancouver Children’s Hospital since the tragedy on Feb. 10, and her family has been at her bedside from day one.
Cia Edmonds, Maya’s mother, says the financial toll has been extensive.
“Accommodations have become too much, and we live between the back of my car and a couch in the hospital,” she posted on social media.
“Hoping we find a place that fits all our requirements sometime soon.”
B.C. Minister of Public Safety Nina Krieger says they will continue to support Maya’s family through a number of programs, including the Crime Victim Assistance Program (CVAP).
“In general, under the Crime Victim Assistance Act, CVAP benefits are intended to support a victim’s recovery and wellbeing over time,” Krieger said in a statement.
“This can include ongoing medical care, rehabilitation, equipment needs, counselling, and supports related to their ongoing recovery for as long as they are required due to the injury. Families do not need to rely on emergency funding sources to cover these types of costs when they fall within what CVAP can provide.”
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Edmonds says there are also charities available to help them, such as the Red Cross, but government support and donations do not solve the problem.
One of the issues, she says, is that she is no longer able to run her business due to the circumstances.
“With having to forfeit my shop, the outrageous cost of housing, medical equipment, and not knowing how or if I can ever work again, using any of that for overpriced short-term stays seems very unreasonable,” she said.
“Two weeks in a hotel or Airbnb is a month’s rent.”
Maya will need expensive medical equipment, such as mechanical slings, ramps, stairlifts, a van, and other devices.
“All of that combined is well over $200k in a year,” she said.
“That coupled with $2,500 a month in rent, and everyday living, these allotted funds need to stretch us as long as possible. With $6,000 a month in home care for Maya and $2,500 a month in rent, it’s scary to think how fast it will go.”
Meanwhile, Edmonds says her daughter is healing “incredibly well.”
“Her cranioplasty went well,” she said.
“No further signs of infection; crisis averted.”