Take Care of Maya depicts the true story of the Kowalski family — Jack, Beata, Maya, and Kyle — and their tragic fight to save Maya following a trip to the emergency room. The documentary premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 10, 2023, before it was added to Netflix’s streaming library on June 19, and the film received rave reviews as audiences everywhere became familiar with Maya’s background and what happened to her and her family in 2016. A few months following the movie’s premiere, the story continued when the family made breaking news again.
After Jack and Beata Kowalski married, the couple started trying to have a child. They had some difficulty, but eventually, their daughter, Maya, was born in 2005, and a couple of years later, their son, Kyle, was born. Jack and Beata were ecstatic, and as Jack pointed out in Take Care of Maya, Beata would do anything for her children. Unfortunately, when Maya was ten years old, the Kowalski family’s life took a turn for the worse.
Maya Was Diagnosed With Complex Regional Pain Syndrome At 10 Years Old
In early 2015, Maya, who was ten years old at the time, became extremely sick when she started experiencing severe pain. Her symptoms included chest congestion, trouble breathing, lethargy, headaches, blurred vision, skin lesions, lower limb dystonia, and overall chronic pain. Multiple doctors were confused by symptoms and were at a loss in trying to diagnose her. However, Beata didn’t give up, and after months of doctor appointments and hospital visits, the family finally got an answer when they met with Dr. Anthony Kirkpatrick.
Dr. Kirkpatrick diagnosed Maya with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) in September 2015. He was an anesthesiologist and an expert on CRPS, and he was able to recognize that Maya had the syndrome. Following her diagnosis, Dr. Kirkpatrick recommended that Maya be treated with ketamine to lessen her pain and symptoms, as seen in Take Care of Maya. Related: Take Care Of Maya: Ketamine’s Effects Explained & Why It Was Used For Maya’s CRPS Treatment
Doctors Put Maya Into A Ketamine Coma To Treat Her CRPS
Dr. Kirkpatrick started Maya on low dosages of ketamine, but since those proved to be ineffective in treating her symptoms, the doctor recommended that Maya try a ketamine coma. The procedure, which included giving Maya extremely high dosages of ketamine and putting her in a five-day coma, could only be performed in Mexico. The ketamine coma came with many risks, including potential death, but the Kowalskis knew they had no other options to help Maya escape her chronic pain.
Jack, Beata, and Maya traveled to Monterrey, Mexico, in November 2015 so that Maya could receive the ketamine coma. The procedure was a success and alleviated Maya’s symptoms. However, when the family returned to the United States, Maya had to continue receiving low dosages of ketamine to prevent her symptoms from coming back.
Maya Relapsed & Was Rushed To The Hospital 1 Year After Her Coma
The ketamine coma and low dosages of ketamine worked for Maya for about a year until she relapsed on October 7, 2016. She started experiencing extreme pain to the point that she was screaming, so Jack took her to the emergency room of Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, where Beata met them after leaving work. Unfortunately, once they arrived, none of the nurses or doctors had heard of CRPS and could not treat her for her pain. When Beata got there, she explained that ketamine was the only thing that would help Maya, but the doctors refused to listen to her.
Years later, while on trial during the court case, the doctors and nurses who encountered Beata at the hospital claimed she was belligerent, demanding, and controlling while trying to get the doctors to give her daughter ketamine. Even though the doctors tried to help, Maya’s condition didn’t improve since they were not listening to Beata and treating Maya for CRPS. Unfortunately, the situation soon took a turn for the worse when the hospital staff became suspicious of Beata.
Maya Was Taken From Jack & Beata After The Hospital Staff Called Child Protective Services
The staff at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital decided to call child protective services (CPS) because they suspected that Maya was a victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSbP), which is now known as factitious disorder imposed on another (FDIA). Dr. Sally Smith, a child abuse pediatrician, arrived at the hospital on October 11, four days after Maya was admitted, and she started questioning Jack and Beata. Dr. Smith concluded that the couple was abusing their daughter, and Maya was put under state custody, meaning Jack and Beata couldn’t see her.
The Kowalskis soon hired a lawyer — Debra Salisburyy — to help them get their child back into their custody. Unfortunately, that task proved difficult, and a judge even issued a no-contact order for Beata and Maya. Jack was able to briefly see Maya, whose condition continued to worsen without ketamine treatments. The family underwent many court hearings over the following couple of months, including one where Beata just wanted to hug her daughter. However, numerous judges continued to side with the hospital. Beata went 87 days without seeing Maya, which led to a tragedy.
Beata Died By Suicide In 2017
Beata died by suicide on January 8, 2017, and she left behind an email to her family that explained why. In the email, Beata wrote, “Please take care of Maya and tell her how much I love her every day … I’m sorry, but I no longer can take the pain being away from Maya and being treated like a criminal. I cannot watch my daughter suffer in pain and keep getting worse.” She wanted her daughter released from the hospital and treated for CRPS and believed that this was the only way that could happen. On January 13, Jack regained custody of Maya. Related: Who Is Dr. Sally Smith & What Happened To Her After Take Care Of Maya?
The Kowalski Family Won A $261 Million Lawsuit In 2023
Take Care of Maya revealed what happened to Beata, but the film didn’t share how her family’s lawsuit against Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital played out since it was still ongoing when the documentary premiered. Following Beata’s death, the Kowalski family sued the hospital for the wrongful death of Beata, inflicting emotional distress on her and Maya, false imprisonment, and battery. According to People, the hospital was found liable for the charges on November 9, 2023, and the Kowalskis were awarded $261 million in damages.
