UFC’s Dana White says bringing Maya Gebala to U.S. offers ‘best chance’ of recovery

Maya Gebala in hospital with her sister, Dahlia. Photo by David Gebala /Facebook

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UFC president Dana White has spoken out about his offer to bring Tumbler Ridge shooting survivor Maya Gebala to the U.S. for medical care, saying there are some “great places” for treatment south of the border.

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Talking to reporters at a post-fight press conference in Winnipeg on April 18, White said that Maya’s parents “wanted to give their daughter the best chance they could, and there’s some great places in L.A., there’s a great place in Houston, there’s a great place in Seattle.”

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Maya’s mother, Cia Edmonds, revealed White’s offer to help with her 12-year-old daughter’s medical care last month, sharing in a social media post on March 25 that he had offered to pay for treatment at “one of the world’s most top-tier hospitals in L.A. California” and cover accommodations for the family.

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That Los Angeles hospital has an “extensive brain trauma clinic and more resources,” she wrote.

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When asked about his decision to help with Maya’s medical care, White said: “I saw it on the news and I reached out to the family…I said I would like to help in any way that I can.”

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He added: “When you’re a parent, you want the best possible care and I don’t want to shit on anybody, it’s not really my place to talk about this publicly, but they wanted to give their daughter the best chance they could.”

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Maya suffered significant brain damage after being shot by Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, during a mass shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary on Feb. 10.

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Van Rootselaar killed five of Maya’s fellow students and one teacher at the school, and two more people at a nearby home, before dying by suicide.

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President and CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship Dana White speaks on stage on the fourth day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 18, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Photo by Chip Somodevilla /Getty Images

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On April 9, Edmonds confirmed the family had decided to accept White’s offer.

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“After many nights of research, questioning, and fear of the unknown, we decided to say yes to an opportunity for an aggressive approach to her rehabilitation through privatized health care,” she wrote on Facebook.

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“We are excited. As well as nervous, away from family and resources, an opportunity we couldn’t refuse. We wait for all the moving parts to line up and create a path to pursue. until then, we live somewhere in the middle.”

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The Vancouver Sun previously spoke with Dr. Judy Illes, a University of B.C. medical ethicist with expertise in neurosciences, following the rehab plan announcement.

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Illes said she couldn’t comment on specific hospitals in the U.S., Canada or elsewhere, and she described the Canadian health-care system as “absolutely superb” and care for paediatric patients as “world-class.”

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She said the U.S. has specialist doctors who have expertise for rare cases, but Canada’s neurosurgery and neurology care are “top-of-the-line” and equivalent to what’s available in other countries.