Many have been moved by the Netflix documentary “Take Care of Maya”, and the ensuing legal battle that unfolded in the US. But what is the real story behind this emotional film? This article delves into the complete, tragic narrative that inspired the documentary and captivated audiences worldwide.
In November 2023, after a protracted legal ordeal, Maya Kowalski, then 17, and her family received a landmark verdict in their $220 million lawsuit, widely known as the ‘Take Care of Maya Trial’. The jury sided with Maya, awarding a staggering $261 million, encompassing $211 million in compensatory damages and an additional $50 million in punitive damages. These damages were for false imprisonment, battery, medical negligence, and the wrongful death of Maya’s mother, Beata, as well as the emotional distress inflicted upon Maya and her family.
Alt Text: Image depicting the title card for ‘The Real Story Behind the Take Care of Maya Trial’, highlighting the documentary’s focus on the legal battle and Maya Kowalski’s story.
Please be advised that this article contains sensitive content.
“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 while my hands are tied by the state of FL and the judge.” – Beata Kowalski
The Start of Maya’s Ordeal
Maya Kowalski’s deeply upsetting and poignant story became public knowledge through the Netflix documentary ‘Take Care of Maya’. Released in June 2023, it quickly garnered over 14 million views within its first two weeks, highlighting the immense public interest in her case.
The origins of Maya’s suffering trace back to 2015 when she began experiencing a cluster of alarming symptoms. These included breathing difficulties, unexplained skin lesions, extreme fatigue, persistent headaches, blurred vision, dystonia in her lower limbs, and widespread chronic pain.
Driven by a mother’s unwavering love, Beata and Jack Kowalski embarked on a relentless quest to find answers. They consulted numerous doctors and specialists, determined to understand the root cause of Maya’s debilitating symptoms. Beata, in particular, was unyielding in her pursuit of a diagnosis. Finally, in September 2015, after seeking the expertise of Dr. Anthony Kirkpatrick, a renowned pain specialist, Maya received a diagnosis of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS).
Following this crucial Take Care Of Maya Diagnosis, Maya underwent various treatments under medical supervision. One notable treatment was a five-day procedure in Mexico involving high-dose ketamine infusions, requiring sedation and intubation. This aggressive treatment proved effective in mitigating Maya’s symptoms. To maintain her improved condition upon returning to the USA, she needed ongoing, lower doses of ketamine to prevent symptom recurrence.
Alt Text: A somber portrait of Maya Kowalski, a blonde-haired girl with a visibly saddened expression, representing the emotional weight of her CRPS journey and the ‘Take Care of Maya’ narrative.
Trouble at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital
The turning point, and the beginning of immense hardship, occurred when Maya was just ten years old. Her parents brought her to the paediatric emergency department at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, believing she was experiencing a severe flare up of her CRPS, manifesting as intense stomach pain.
Upon arrival, Beata and Jack informed the emergency department staff about Maya’s Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), emphasizing its impact on her feet and legs, and her extreme hypersensitivity [Learn more about CRPS signs and symptoms via this link]. Beata, a registered nurse, possessed a thorough understanding of Maya’s condition and past treatments, both successful and unsuccessful.
Due to her CRPS, Maya relied on a wheelchair as her feet turned inward, and her legs were unable to bear her weight. Like many CRPS sufferers, Maya endured burning pain in her legs and feet and could barely walk. Lesions had also developed on her legs early in her CRPS journey, which the ketamine coma in Mexico had aimed to address.
To investigate the cause of Maya’s abdominal pain at the hospital, a nurse attempted an ultrasound. However, Beata insisted that Maya would only tolerate the procedure with a ketamine infusion or dose, given her pain and hypersensitivity. This request for ketamine, a powerful drug, raised a red flag for the nurse, prompting her to involve social worker Debra Hansen.
Child Abuse Allegations Emerge
The social worker found Beata’s insistence on ketamine for a routine procedure highly suspicious. This perceived anomaly led to a formal child abuse or neglect notification being filed with the State. Though the Florida Department of Children and Families initially dismissed the report due to insufficient evidence the following morning, hospital staff remained concerned and pursued the child abuse/neglect claim.
Later that day, Dr. Beatriz Teppa Sanchez, an ICU doctor, contacted Dr. Sally Smith, medical director of the child-protection team for Pinellas County, Florida, for her expert opinion. Dr. Smith had over 30 years of experience in child abuse cases.
Dr. Sanchez described Beata as “pushy” and questioned the high ketamine dosage Beata requested for Maya, deeming it excessive. Hospital staff also characterized Beata as demanding, belligerent, and controlling, alleging she pressured them to administer ketamine. Dr. Sanchez also noted Maya seemed less distressed when her mother was absent. However, Dr. Smith’s primary concern arose from learning about Maya’s regular ketamine infusions for CRPS management, considering it an unconventional treatment approach for a child.
Subsequently, a second formal report was filed, this time citing overtreatment rather than parental neglect. The report stated Beata Kowalski “is believed to have mental issues,” and further asserted that Maya was not in pain but “Mom insists that Maya is in pain.” The DCF accepted this second report and tasked Dr. Sally Smith with further investigation, though she was already involved.
“Maya was not in any pain but Mom insists that Maya is in pain.” – DCF Report
Dismissal of CRPS and Ketamine Therapy
The hospital staff and authorities exhibited disbelief in Maya’s CRPS diagnosis and the necessity of high-dose ketamine for pain management. They essentially accused her of fabricating her condition. Based on the belief that Maya was faking symptoms and Beata suffered from Munchausen-by-proxy (now known as Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another or FDIA), a judge ordered Maya’s removal from her parents’ custody.
Munchausen-by-proxy, or FDIA, is a mental health condition where a caregiver, typically a parent, invents or induces physical or psychological symptoms in their child. This leads to unnecessary and potentially harmful medical interventions. This form of child abuse can have severe and long-lasting consequences for a child’s physical and emotional health.
Prior to this hospital admission, the Kowalskis had consulted over 30 medical professionals in their search for answers and effective management strategies for Maya’s condition. Seeking multiple medical opinions is a common practice for those grappling with CRPS. Beata meticulously documented Maya’s symptoms, treatments, and medical history.
Diagnosing Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is notoriously challenging, often taking months or even years due to limited understanding and awareness of the condition. Tragically, accusations of exaggeration, fabrication, or Munchausen’s are not uncommon for CRPS patients.
After Johns Hopkins hospital requested Maya’s medical records, both doctors who diagnosed and treated Maya contacted Dr. Smith to validate her condition. Dr. Kirkpatrick cautioned against accusing Beata of criminal conduct, warning of “needless and permanent harm to the child and family.” Dr. Hanna also informed Dr. Smith that Munchausen by proxy was frequently misdiagnosed in CRPS cases. Crucially, neither of these warnings were included in Dr. Smith’s report.
“Even though we are discouraged, we will not settle.” – Beata Kowalski
Three Months of Hospitalization and Isolation
Following the Munchausen-by-proxy accusation, the State issued a ‘shelter order’, mandating Maya’s confinement to the hospital and preventing parental visits. When a nurse informed Jack of this devastating news in Maya’s room, she found him cleaning up after Maya’s incontinence. Beata had already left for work. Jack was instructed to leave immediately, with the heartbreaking news that Maya was now in state custody. As he departed, Maya cried out for her father from her hospital bed.
For the next three months, Maya endured a traumatic separation from her family. Legal documents reveal medical orders enforced her “isolation” and severely restricted family visits. Despite this isolation, Maya consistently reported high pain levels.
Dr. Smith remained skeptical of Maya’s CRPS, suspecting something other than Munchausen-by-proxy. She instructed staff to secretly record Maya, aiming to “catch her moving her legs.”
A healthcare professional texted Dr. Smith after a visit: “I watched her use her feet to push herself several feet in her wheelchair … She was distracted and I’m not even sure she realized she did it bc i didn’t call attention to it.”
Dr. Smith responded: “Fortunately at 10 years old she can’t perform the charade effectively 24/7. And doesn’t even know if she’s making ‘physiological’ mistakes. I’m coming to take some pictures of her ‘affected’ legs.”
Dr. Smith and other staff dehumanized Maya, often referring to her as ‘ketamine girl’. After two months of isolation, the hospital paediatrician changed the diagnosis from Munchausen-by-proxy to factitious disorder, suggesting Maya herself was fabricating her illness, not her parents. Dr. Smith’s reports even claimed the recurring ‘strange bumps and lesions’ on Maya’s body were self-inflicted.
Restricted Visitation and Further Trauma
In December, visitation rules were slightly eased, allowing Maya to see her father under strict supervision, while Beata’s in-person visits remained prohibited. Beata was limited to phone or video calls. However, the hospital further restricted even these limited contacts, going beyond the judge’s orders.
Maya’s social worker, Cathi Bedy, frequently denied Beata’s FaceTime/video calls, reducing them from daily to weekly. Beata was even denied seeing Maya at Christmas. Visits from Maya’s teachers and the family priest were also blocked, halting her education and spiritual support.
Adding to the trauma, Maya endured unwanted physical contact and constant video surveillance. On one occasion, social worker Cathi Bedy and a nurse instructed Maya to undress completely for photographs, purportedly for a report. When Maya refused, she was told she would be denied a court-ordered visit with her mother. Despite her protests, the social worker forcibly removed Maya’s pants and shirt.
Maya recounted: “I was crying and saying, ‘No, stop.’ But she wouldn’t stop. Bedy pinned me face down and either she or the nurse took photos of me in my training bra and shorts.”
Beata witnessed Maya’s condition deteriorating due to the hospital’s actions. The legal complaint stated “her symptoms worsened: her lesions reappeared, her legs atrophied, she regressed and became wheelchair-bound.”
At a court hearing, Maya’s request to hug her mother, supported even by their lawyer, was denied by the judge.
Alt Text: Maya Kowalski, a blonde-haired girl, visibly crying in a courtroom setting, poignantly captures the emotional distress and legal battles depicted in ‘The Real Story Behind Take Care of Maya’.
Beata Kowalski’s Despair and Suicide
When Beata finally saw Maya after over three months of separation, she found her daughter in a wheelchair and “in worse shape” than upon hospital admission. The judge’s denial of a simple hug overwhelmed Beata with grief. She was seen crying uncontrollably and lost significant weight. In a phone call with Maya the day after this devastating court appearance, Maya recalls her mother saying “I love you, and I’ll see you tomorrow.” Tragically, Maya would never see her mother again.
On January 7, 2017, Beata told her husband she had a headache and stayed home from a family birthday celebration. Upon returning, Jack assumed Beata was asleep in their son’s room. The next day, a relative’s bloodcurdling scream from the garage alerted Jack. Rushing to the garage with his son, he discovered his beloved wife had taken her own life. This devastating act occurred just two days after being denied a hug from Maya on January 8, 2017, after 87 days of separation from her daughter. She was only 43 years old.
Beata’s suicide note, sent via email, read: “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 while my hands are tied by the state of FL and the judge.”
Beata’s desperate act was driven by her belief that releasing Maya from the hospital and resuming proper CRPS treatment was the only way to end her daughter’s suffering. On January 13, 2017, Jack finally regained custody of Maya.
Beata had never been diagnosed with any mental health condition and had even undergone a state-ordered psychiatric evaluation to disprove the Munchausen-by-proxy accusation. The psychiatrist concluded “no evidence that would support the conclusion that Beata has falsified her daughter’s medical condition for any psychological purpose” and definitively stated “factitious disorder by proxy may safely be ruled out.”
When Jack informed Maya of her mother’s suicide at the hospital, she was moved to a private room to grieve with her father, brother, and family priest. Their time together was limited to a single hour. Maya, wearing a necklace gifted by her mother, later recounted in court, “It was actually so unbelievably cruel, the amount of time they allocated for me to spend with my family after hearing such awful news.”
After Jack left, a hospital doctor texted ICU Paediatrician Dr. Beatriz Teppa Sanchez: “Ketamine girl’s mom committed suicide yesterday. Sorry to say my prediction was correct.” This reveals a disturbing assumption that Beata had underlying mental health issues. Dr. Sanchez replied: “Omg, this is terrible … I know we did the right thing. But this is really f***ed up. I feel bad.”
Alt Text: Maya Kowalski, a blonde-haired girl with a pale and determined face, stands outside the courtroom, symbolizing her resilience and fight for justice in the ‘Take Care of Maya’ case.
The Civil Court Victory
Maya, now 17, became a co-plaintiff in the civil lawsuit against Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital and the Department of Children and Families, seeking over $200 million in damages. The lawsuit alleged that the hospital’s actions and child abuse accusations against Beata directly led to her suicide in January 2017. Additional claims included medical malpractice, battery, false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and fraud, citing that the hospital billed their insurance for CRPS treatments while denying Maya’s diagnosis.
The trial was an immense emotional and physical strain on Maya, forcing her to relive the traumatic hospital experiences and her mother’s tragic death. Defense attorneys argued that the mandatory reporting was initiated because Maya received “levels of medication they had never heard of before, that the literature did not support.”
During the eight-week trial, the defense attempted to discredit Maya’s ongoing suffering by presenting photos of her at prom, smiling and seemingly well. Maya powerfully explained that these photos didn’t negate her pain, stating she often masks her symptoms. She testified, “…I cried for an hour to my dad before that picture was taken because of how bad my leg pain was…I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to go. That was my physical condition and mental condition.”
Defense lawyers argued: “This is the life of Maya Kowalski today….We did not aggravate a pre-existing condition. She’s at her prom, she’s out in heels, has friends — it’s in complete contradiction to her testimony.” Despite objections, the judge admitted the photos as evidence.
It is crucial to understand that CRPS is not a linear condition. Patients experience fluctuations in symptoms. Outward appearances often mask the immense effort and subsequent flare-ups, exhaustion, and symptom spikes that CRPS patients endure even when participating in seemingly normal activities.
The jury ultimately ruled in favor of the Kowalski family, awarding $261 million in damages, including punitive damages for false imprisonment and battery. Punitive damages serve to punish harmful conduct and deter future similar actions.
Upon hearing the verdict, Maya broke down in tears, stating, “It was about the answer, knowing that my mom was right,” she said. “For the first time, I feel like I got justice.” In a recent Instagram post, she expressed, “We are feeling so blessed! I will forever be grateful.”
The jury clearly recognized the emotional distress caused by the forced separation and denial of contact, concluding it was a direct factor in Beata’s suicide.
The hospital is appealing the verdict, meaning the damages are not yet finalized and the legal process continues. Hospital lawyers cite “clear and prejudicial errors” and accuse Maya’s legal team of misleading the jury.
In his closing statement, Maya’s lead lawyer argued, “All Children’s doctors wanted to punish a mother who dared to question their medical expertise … What was the purpose of all this other than arrogance and the belief they could get away with it.”
Alt Text: ‘The Real CRPS Story Behind Take Care of Maya Trial’ title card featuring a sad-looking blonde haired girl, emphasizing the documentary’s focus on CRPS and the emotional impact of the legal trial on Maya.
Criminal Complaint of Sexual Abuse
In a further development following the civil trial, Maya Kowalski has filed a criminal complaint alleging sexual abuse, specifically assault and battery occurring between October 8-13, 2016, during her hospitalization. Maya details specific characteristics of the alleged perpetrator, including hair color, height, weight, and clothing, though she cannot identify him by name.
She alleges that an individual appearing to be a doctor entered her room without a female chaperone, knocked once, approached her bed, pulled down her pajamas and underwear, and “stare[d] at [and] touch[ed] her private parts.”
Maya’s lawyer, Greg Anderson, stated that she suppressed memories of this abuse until recently. However, Maya had previously mentioned these events in notes to both the hospital psychiatrist and a subsequent psychiatrist, Dr. Henschke.
Alt Text: Maya Kowalski, flanked by her family, stands outside the courthouse after their victory in the CRPS legal claim against a US hospital, showcasing their united front and pursuit of justice.
The Ongoing Aftermath
The legal saga of Maya Kowalski continues. The hospital’s appeal of the civil verdict is pending, as they maintain their actions did not cause Beata’s suicide. They insist on appealing based on “clear and prejudicial errors throughout the trial and deliberate conduct by plaintiff’s counsel that misled the jury.” The recently filed criminal complaint of sexual abuse also awaits investigation and potential trial.
Seeking Support and Information
If you believe you may have symptoms of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), it is crucial to seek professional medical advice. Request a referral to a pain consultant or a CRPS specialist center. Visit our page ‘How to get symptoms assessed‘ for further information. Burning Nights CRPS Support offers a range of services for those affected by CRPS, including online support groups, live chat, and community forums. Please explore our Support Services page for more details.
If you have been affected by any of the issues discussed in this article, please reach out for help. In the U.K., call the Samaritans on 116 123. In the USA, call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. The Samaritans and 988 Lifeline provide free, confidential emotional support 24/7 to individuals in suicidal crisis or emotional distress.
