The latest documentary Take Care of Maya on Netflix is about a young girl named Maya Kowalski and her mysterious illness. The Kowalski family had taken their 10-year-old daughter, Maya, to treat her rare condition at Florida’s John Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. However, the family is now suing the hospital for $220 million. Wondering why? Let’s find out!
What is ‘Take Care of Maya’ about?
The documentary, Take Care of Maya, follows the story of a 10-year-old girl named Maya’s rare illness and her family. Maya suffered from extreme pain in her body throughout her childhood and was diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). CRPS is a neurological condition that causes extreme pain in a person. The Kowalski family visited multiple doctors seeking help to aid their daughter’s illness but to no avail. Some doctors suspected that the symptoms were not real and that it was all made up in her head.
However, Maya’s parents believed their daughter and consulted an expert doctor named Dr Anthony Kirkpatrick, who prescribed ketamine treatment for Maya. Ketamine drug is known to soothe pain. Despite taking the ketamine treatment Maya’s symptoms did not disappear, and Dr Kirkpatrick suggested Maya be put in a five-day ketamine coma. The five-day treatment was suggested so that her nervous system could reset which would’ve eventually cured the disease. Since the treatment was illegal in the US, the Kowalski family visited Mexico which didn’t cure CRPS but showed improvements in Maya’s condition.
In October 2016, Maya relapsed and had to be rushed to John Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in Florida. Maya’s parents insisted the hospital doctors put her on ketamine as it had helped relieve her pain but the doctors didn’t agree. In the Take Care of Maya documentary, we see that the hospital had reached out to Child Protective Services and accused Maya’s mother, Baeta, of Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSP). Munchausen by proxy is a mental illness where a parent, mostly the mother, makes up fake symptoms so that their child appears to be ill.
The documentary, Take Care of Maya, reveals Dr Sally Smith, a former doctor for Child Protective Service conducted the investigation and Maya was held in the hospital for 90 days to keep her away from her parents. Beata Kowalski was also confirmed to not have the Munchausen syndrome by proxy condition. However, she could not bear the separation of her daughter and at the age of 43, she took her own life in January 2017. According to The Cut, Beata’s suicide note read-
“I’m sorry but I no longer can take the pain of being away from Maya and being treated like a criminal. I cannot watch my daughter suffer in pain and keep getting worse while my hands are tied by the state of FL and the judge!”
As Take Care of Maya progresses, we see that the hospital released Maya from their custody five days after Beata killed herself. Maya’s father Jack took over the custody of their daughter and the family filed multiple lawsuits for Maya’s misdiagnosis and the death of her mother.
Why is the Kowalski family suing the hospital for $220 million?
Ever since the release of the Take Care of Maya documentary, the story has gained a lot of attention. The family suffered a huge loss of life when Beata took her life due to the distress caused by the hospital authority. Moreover, pain Maya suffered due to the misdiagnosis of her condition by the hospital. Maya’s father, Jack and her brother, Kyle are all suing John Hopkins All Children’s Hospital for $220 million. They are seeking $55 million in compensation and $165 million in punitive damages from the hospital.
As we see in Take Care of Maya, Beata is accused of faking her daughter’s illness and the hospital authorities put Maya under state custody. The chain of events led the Kowalski family to lose Beata which has caused them a lot of pain and suffering. The family is represented by AndersonGlenn LLP. While speaking to the Daily Mail, the LLP stated-
“The horrific events from the October 7, 2016 admission through Maya’s release on January 14, 2017, have been well-documented. These events amount to the abduction, incarceration and abuse of a 10-year-old girl. Her parents were irreparably defamed and damaged.
“Beata took her own life to free her daughter from ‘care’ by Johns Hopkins. The resulting litigation has been the worst I’ve seen. We were retained in the fall of 2017 and sent our first demand letters for information in December. We filed suit in 2018 – that was five years ago, five years of brutal litigation.
“The Kowalskis have incurred millions in legal fees and costs. Maya, Jack and Kyle will need medical care and therapy for the rest of their lives.”
