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Maya Kowalski was 10 years old when she was admitted to Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in 2016. Her illness confused the medical team, which later led doctors to question the care she received from her parents at home. Maya was eventually taken away from her home and placed in state custody while officials tried to determine the cause of her illness. Devastated by her daughter's absence, Maya's mother, Beata, died by suicide while fighting to get her daughter back. On Monday, June 19, Netflix is gearing up to tell Maya's story in the new documentary Take Care of Maya. Read ahead for everything we know about where Maya Kowalski is now.
Who is Maya Kowalski?
Maya is a St. Petersburg, Florida, native who was born in 2006. She was raised with her brother Kyle by their parents, Beata and Jack Kowalski.
What happened to Maya Kowalski?
According to People, Maya was 9 years old when she began experiencing asthma attacks and headaches. Soon after, lesions began forming on her legs and arms, and her feet began cramping and curling. After many doctors failed to identify Maya's symptoms, one doctor suggested that it could have been all in her head. "But Maya would be crying 24/7," her father, Jack, told People. "We knew she wasn't faking."
After online research, Maya's mother, Beata, who was trained as a registered nurse, was informed that Maya could be experiencing complex regional pain syndrome, a neurological condition that can cause constant or intermittent pain, the Cleveland Clinic says. Maya's family sought out Dr. Anthony Kirkpatrick, an anesthesiologist and pharmacologist in Tampa who specializes in CRPS. Dr. Kirkpatrick diagnosed Maya with CPRS and treated her symptoms with infusions of ketamine. "I felt amazing," she said.
In October 2016, Maya was rushed to the Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital emergency room in St. Petersburg, Florida, with crippling stomach pain. Hospital officials grew suspicious after Maya's mother asked doctors to prescribe her daughter a high dose of ketamine, the one treatment they were prescribed to help alleviate their daughter's pain. Hospital staff later contacted child protective services and accused Beata of child abuse due to Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another (FDIA), formerly known as Munchausen syndrome by proxy. FDIA is a mental disorder where a caretaker of a child either makes up fake symptoms or causes real symptoms to make it appear that the child is injured or ill, Cleveland Clinic reports.
Beata was ordered to take a mental evaluation and was found not to have a mental illness, but Maya was later placed in state custody, where she could not see her family for more than three months. "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," Maya told People. "I was medically kidnapped. I tried being hopeful, but there was a point where I thought, ‘I’m never getting out of this place."
The separation caused Beata's mental health to decline, and after 87 days without her daughter, she died by suicide in January 2017 at 43. Five days after her mother's death, Maya was released into her father's custody and returned home to Venice, Florida.
Where is Maya Kowalski now?
Now 17, Maya lives in Florida with her father. According to People, she has full use of her arms and legs, but she still experiences pain from her illness that causes her to cry out. "I do my best to push through," she told the outlet. "I've already missed a lot, so I want to make the most of life now."
Along with her family, Maya has filed a lawsuit against the hospital, and the trial is set to begin in September, more than six years after Beata's death. Ahead of the Netflix doc, Maya opened up to People about the lawsuit. "For us as a family to move on, we need to fulfill my mom's wish and fight," she said. "I want justice for my mom."
WATCH TAKE CARE OF MYA ON NETFLIX ON JUNE 19
Jasmine Washington is an Assistant Editor at Seventeen, where she covers celebrity news, beauty, lifestyle, and more. For the past decade, she has worked for media outlets, including BET, MadameNoire, VH1, and many others, where she used her voice to tell stories across various verticals. Follow her on Instagram.
