‘Take Care of Maya,’ a documentary directed by Henry Roosevelt, premiered at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival and has now started streaming on Netflix. It tells the horrifying story of a family that broke apart due to a systemic problem.
We meet the Kowalski family from Venice, Florida, who had to lose custody of their young daughter, Maya, for months. Through her story, the documentary talks at length about a widespread issue across the country.
Maya’s mother, Beata, had left her home country of Poland to move to the US. After her marriage to Jack, they had Maya and her brother Kyle. In 2015, Beata was working as an infusion nurse, whereas Jack retired from his job as a firefighter.
During that year, one night, Maya suddenly started to have unbearable pain across her body. Several issues came along with it. Her feet turned inward, and the core issue affected her overall mobility functions. She started having extreme pain even while moving her arms.
Being a nurse, Beata looked online for options for Maya’s recovery. She found out about an anaesthesiologist called Dr. Kirkpatrick, who had previously dealt with such cases. The doctor diagnosed Maya has CRPS, aka complex regional pain syndrome.
Because of this, even the touch of something as lightweight as a feather can seem harsh to a person. For years, such an issue was only considered psychological. Dr. Kirkpatrick and others figured that the issue was very much real and prescribed doses of Ketamine for Maya’s recovery.
As per his suggestion, Beata and Jack took Maya to Mexico for recovery. After that, Maya slowly got better and lived a steady life for about a year. But during a hurricane, she again started showing symptoms of CRPS. Due to its unbearable pain, the Kowalskis decided to take their nine-year-daughter to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. That visit started a series of unfortunate events in their lives.
The medical practitioners at this hospital did not know about CRPS. Beata told them about the ketamine dosages as per Doctor Ashraf Hanna’s prescription. However, instead of helping Maya with the pain, they cut contact between the kid and her parents.
The staff kept Maya under their custody and denied visitation rights to her parents. The Kowalskis were kept away under the claim that they were mistreating their own child. The Child Protection Services (CPS) sided with the hospital and enforced increased limitations on the parents.
The documentary takes us through the family’s ordeal as told in their own words. Despite their numerous attempts to protect their child, the hospital and the CPS kept denying them any help to make progress in reuniting. Beata kept fighting for justice despite the attempts to silence her by Sally Smith and others from the hospital staff.
The parents were told to deal with this situation by following the system’s regulations, to find an amicable solution for their child. But Beata wasn’t one to listen since she understood the unforgivable conduct of the hospital. The hospital did not just deny the necessary treatment. They also appointed a woman named Cathy for Maya’s care, despite having been accused of child abuse in the past.
The mental torture on the family was to such an extent that Beata could not bear it after a point. How could you if even logical evidence is outright denied by the authorities supposed to protect the citizens? After months of distance, Beata, unfortunately, gave up her life. Maya was let go from the hospital only after her mother’s tragic death.
The documentary examines not just the personal conflict revolving around this family, it also showcases similar crimes committed throughout the country. When a journalist decided to speak about the Kowalskis, she learned about several other cases where parents were vilified and children were traumatized.
The investigation found that the hospital charged a huge sum for CPRS treatment despite denying that Maya had no such issue. It goes on to show the lengths to which these inhumane & apathetic individuals can go for monetary gain.
The close-knit relationship between those in power also allowed the trial against this hospital to be repeatedly delayed. The absolute disregard for the children & parents’ condition by those like Sally is beyond terrifying. Seeing the devastating state of the child protection system, you cannot help but feel a lump in your throat.
![On the Count of Three [2021]: ‘Sundance’ Review – Constantly funny bromance takes a sharp look at men’s mental health](http://www.highonfilms.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/On-the-Count-of-Three-Sundance-Review-768x432.jpg)
![Return to Seoul [2022] Review – A Masterful character study of a life stuck in the in-betweens](http://www.highonfilms.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/RETURN-TO-SEOUL-768x432.webp)
