Family’s lawsuit over suspected abuse of woman with rare medical condition goes to court.
A Woman’s Fight for Justice: The Tragic Story of Maya Kowalski
In the heart-wrenching Netflix documentary “Take Care of Maya,” we are introduced to Maya Kowalski, a young girl whose life was turned upside down by a mysterious medical condition. Now, after years of struggle, Maya is finally getting her day in court.
At just nine years old, Maya began experiencing debilitating asthma attacks and excruciating headaches. As if that wasn’t enough, she soon developed lesions on her arms and legs, and her feet would cramp up, making it impossible for her to walk without assistance. Desperate for answers, Maya’s parents, Jack and Beata, sought medical help, but some doubted the legitimacy of her condition.
“But Maya would be crying 24/7,” Jack, 61, told People Magazine in June. “We knew she wasn’t faking.”
Fortunately, the Kowalskis eventually found Dr. Anthony Kirkpatrick, who diagnosed Maya with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), a rare disorder that intensifies pain signals in the nervous system. The only treatment that provided relief for Maya was monthly infusions of the powerful anesthetic ketamine.
While there are skeptics who question the diagnosis and treatment of CRPS, the ketamine injections allowed Maya to regain some semblance of a normal life. However, she still experienced relapses, leading her parents to seek help at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in Florida.
Tragically, it was at this hospital that Maya’s life took an even darker turn. The medical staff began to doubt her diagnosis and accused her mother, Beata, of suffering from Munchausen by proxy, a condition where a parent fabricates a child’s illness for attention. The hospital filed abuse reports, but they were quickly dismissed after speaking with Maya’s specialist.
Despite this, the hospital persisted and brought in Dr. Sally Smith, who further fueled the accusations against Beata. The hospital filed a second abuse claim, alleging that Beata wanted to put Maya in a coma and that Maya wasn’t truly in pain.
“And my sense is it struck these ER doctors that we know better than this pushy mom who’s coming in here telling us how to do our job,” said attorney Jennifer Anderson, representing Maya’s family.
Tragically, Beata, a registered nurse who had escaped communist-era Poland, took her own life, believing it would force the hospital to take Maya’s condition seriously and allow her to go home. Devastatingly, her plan worked.
After Beata’s death, the hospital dropped its case against the Kowalskis and finally released Maya, who had been kept under court-ordered separation for three agonizing months. The heart-wrenching phone calls between Maya and her mother during this time are captured in the Netflix documentary.
Now, years later, Maya and her family are seeking justice. They have filed a lawsuit against the hospital and Dr. Smith, alleging negligence that led to Beata’s death. As the trial unfolds, Maya bravely shares her harrowing experience of being “medically kidnapped” and denied communication with her family.
“Maya Kowalski was falsely imprisoned and battered. She was denied communication with her family,” defense attorney Anderson told the jurors.
Jack Kowalski hopes that the lawsuit will expose the hospital’s wrongdoing and their refusal to acknowledge their mistake. He believes that their negligence caused Maya’s health to deteriorate rapidly.
If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.