Take Care of Maya is the latest documentary on Netflix, featuring the profound tragedy and legal dispute involving Maya Kowalski. Is the documentary based on a true story? What really happened to Maya Kowalski? Here’s what you need to know.
Is Take Care of Maya based on a true story?
Yes, Take Care of Maya covers the true story of Maya Kowalski.
Maya was 10 when she was admitted to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital due to severe pain and vomiting in 2016. After a series of mistaken diagnoses, the doctors concluded that the child was a victim of medical child abuse from her mother, commonly known as Munchausen syndrome by proxy. The documentary claims the diagnosis was false as Maya suffered from a rare illness called complex regional pain syndrome.
As a trained nurse, Maya’s mother, Beata, asked doctors to administer regular doses of ketamine to her daughter, raising suspicions as ketamine is both a powerful painkiller and a club drug. Florida’s Department of Children and Families then took Maya into state custody, keeping the child in the hospital with limited contact with her parents. Tragically, Maya’s mother took her own life after going 87 days without seeing her daughter. After Beata’s suicide, the state dropped the case, and Maya returned to her father.
Maya, now 17, currently resides in Florida with her father and brother, still experiencing symptoms related to her illness. The documentary highlights that Maya’s case is part of a nationwide pattern where families deal with false accusations of child abuse by medical professionals despite their claims of innocence.
Directed by Henry Roosevelt, Take Care of Maya premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year. The four-year-in-the-making project hails from producer Caitlin Keating. The documentary film includes interviews with Maya’s father, Jack, and audio footage of Beata.
