This story references suicide.
Netflix documentary Take Care Of Maya has captivated watchers with the shocking and heartbreaking story of now 17-year-old Maya Kowalski and her family.
It features intimate interviews with the family and an investigation into their shocking story of how Maya was separated from her family while in hospital, with her mother dying by suicide before they could be reunited.
After a two-month trial, the hospital involved in Maya's “medical kidnap” – Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital – has been found guilty on all counts, including charges of false imprisonment, battery, and intentionally inflicting emotional distress on both Maya and her mother, Beata Kowalski. Maya sued the hospital and the Department of Children and Families for more than $200 million.
But the legal case will continue, as Maya has now filed another criminal complaint against the hospital, citing assault and battery during the time she was there. Her attorney, Greg Anderson, has reported that a man who appeared to be a doctor pulled down Maya's pyjamas and underwear and stared at and touched her private parts. The hospital has launched an investigation into these allegations.
“Maya suppressed this until about four weeks ago, [but] she did put in some notes to both the psychiatrist there at the time… the two female psychiatrists that she saw along the way,” Mr Anderson said.
It investigates Donald Cline, an ex-fertility doctor who fathered 50+ children by illegally artificially inseminating his sperm into women.
If you need a recap or haven't yet watched the show, here's a summary of the documentary (spoilers alert):
What happened to Maya Kowalski?
Maya Kowalski, from Florida, was admitted to Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital aged 10 in 2016 after complaining of pain to her parents — and it led to their lives unravelling and preceded her mother, Beata, dying by suicide.
Maya has a rare condition called complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), which causes extreme pain and burning sensations, and the hospital she attended was confused by it. Her mother requested a high dose of painkiller ketamine, which raised concern with the staff, though this was due to the drug previously having been used to help Maya when she was at another hospital.
Maya had been diagnosed with CRPS the previous year by a pharmacologist named Dr Anthony Kirkpatrick in Tampa, who specialised in the syndrome, but it took a long time for the family to get a diagnosis due to the rareness of the condition. They only found out about it by chance due to meeting another family whose child also suffered from chronic pain.
At the John Hopkins Hospital, Maya was admitted via the emergency room and following the alarm about her mother's request for ketamine to be administered for pain, the staff decided to bring in child abuse paediatrician Dr Sally Smith. She accused Maya's mother of abuse by Munchausen syndrome by proxy, now known as fabricated or induced illness. It's a condition where a parent invents symptoms or causes them in order to make the child appear ill.
After the assessment by Dr Sally Smith, Maya was removed from her parents' care and into the state's for over three months while hospitalised. During this time, her mother, Beata, died by suicide after fighting to get her daughter back. Her mother was intensely fearful for her daughter's safety, not least because the social worker, Catherine 'Cathi' Bedi, looking after Maya had child abuse charges against her.
Beata, who was a nurse, had also had a psychological assessment at this time, and it proved she didn't suffer from Munchausen syndrome by proxy.
Of this time, Maya said to US magazine, People: "One day I was in the ICU, and my mom kissed me on the forehead and was like, 'I love you. I'll see you tomorrow.' I never saw her again. I was medically kidnapped. I tried being hopeful, but there was a point where I thought, 'I'm never getting out of this place'."
Maya was returned to her father, Jack, five days after her mother's death.
In the seven years since these events, the family have been fighting to make their case known, and in 2018, they raised a lawsuit against the hospital, though the documentary details how the case has been postponed many times.
At the end of Take Care of Maya, it's shown that in December 2021, the Kowalskis received $2.5 million (£1.97 million) from their case against Dr Sally Smith and her employer, Suncoast Advocacy Services. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg in their lawsuit.
The family's trial commenced on 11 September 2023.
The Kowalski's lawyers, AndersonGlenn LLP put forward a case for $55 million in compensation and $165 million (£130 million) in punitive damages against the hospital. Cathi Bedy, the social worker, has been named as well.
The accusations were "a host of wrongdoings, including medical malpractice, holding Maya against her will, dismissing the advice of her paediatricians, ignoring signs that her mother was on the verge of a breakdown and forbidding Maya access to her rosary and prayer documents," states The Herald-Tribune.
“I want justice for my mom,” Maya told People magazine.
Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital denied the allegations, describing how it acted “reasonably and prudently” to treat a “difficult and challenging case”.
Last week, jurors found John Hopkins liable on all counts, including false imprisonment, battery, and intentionally inflicting emotional distress on both Maya and her mother. They were awarded damages of $211m (£173m) and $50m (£41m) in punitive damages.
In a statement, Howard Hunter, an attorney from Hill Ward Henderson who represented Johns Hopkins, stated the hospital's intention to appeal the verdict:
“The evidence clearly showed that Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital followed Florida’s mandatory reporting law in reporting suspected child abuse and, when those suspicions were confirmed by the district court, fully complied with Department of Children and Families (DCF) and court orders,” he said in a statement.
What is complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)?
Maya Kowalski experiences complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), a rare condition that causes chronic and rehabilitating pain. According to the NHS, the cause of CRPS is “unknown”, but for many people, it can be the result of “the body reacting abnormally to an injury.”
There is currently no cure for CRPS, but there are several treatments that can address the symptoms, including physical rehabilitation, pain relief, and psychological support.
What is Munchausen by proxy syndrome?
Munchausen's syndrome by proxy, now known as fabricated or induced illness (FII), is a rare form of child abuse. According to the NHS, it happens when “a parent or carer exaggerates or deliberately causes symptoms of illness in the child.”
So, where is Maya Kowalski now?
Now 17 years old, Maya lives in Venice, Florida, with her dad Jack and brother Kyle.
Maya still suffers from CRPS. She told People magazine: "I do my best to push through. I've already missed a lot, so I want to make the most of life now."
Maya shared photos to her Instagram recently from the Tribeca Film Festival, which she attended with her boyfriend Jon Luc and where the documentary had its world premiere.
When life is difficult, Samaritans are here – day or night, 365 days a year.
You can call them free on 116 123 or email them at jo@samaritans.org. Whoever you are and whatever you’re facing, they won’t judge you or tell you what to do. They’re here to listen so you don’t have to face it alone.
If you are experiencing grief after a bereavement, there is support available at Bereavement UK and on the NHS website.
