Netflix's latest documentary Take Care of Maya is leaving viewers distraught and furious, and we can clearly see why...
The streaming platform recently premiered a disturbing medical documentary that follows the story of a girl named Maya Kowalski, then 10 years old, who began experiencing strange symptoms related to a rare neurological condition.
Back in 2015, Maya's parents - Jack and Beata Kowalski - sought out the advice of numerous medical professionals in a desperate bid to find out what was wrong with their little girl, and came across Dr. Anthony Kirkpatrick who officially diagnosed her with CRPS (complex regional pain syndrome).
The professional then prescribed the child high doses of ketamine, but the drugs failed to work so the Kowalski family traveled to Monterrey, Mexico so that Maya could be put in a ketamine coma. The treatment unfortunately had temporary results, as Maya relapsed and experienced crippling stomach pain a year later.
Watch this clip from the heartbreaking documentary:Her parents rushed her to Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, where they explained that Maya had CRPS, and Beata - a registered nurse - frantically urged medics to administer a high dose of ketamine, the one treatment they believed would alleviate Maya's pain.
The request eventually raised concerns among hospital staff, who subsequently alerted a child abuse pediatrician named Dr. Sally Smith to carry out an investigation. An investigative team later accused Beata of child abuse and of having Munchausen by proxy - a mental illness where a parent makes up symptoms or causes real symptoms to make it look like their child is ill.
This resulted in the courts removing Maya from her family's custody, despite a court-ordered psychological evaluation determining that Beata was not suffering from any mental illness. Rather, she was just a desperate mother trying to get the best care for her sick child. Beata was prohibited from seeing her own daughter for over three months. She became increasingly despondent and ultimately ended up taking her own life.
Naturally, many viewers were left outraged at the events in the documentary, taking to social media to vent about how "angry" and "furious" they felt over the series of distressing and unfortunate events. "Just watched Take Care of Maya on Netflix and omfg now I'm just angry," someone wrote.
Another person added: "OMG if you wanna cry and watch one of the most heartbreaking documentaries, go watch Take Care of Maya on Netflix! It will [make you] so angry and in tears at the same time [...]."
"Just when you think America can't get any more f**ked than it is, you watch Take Care of Maya. What a corrupt s**t hole that place is, I'd recommend you watch it but be prepared to get angry [...]," a further user chimed in.
"Take Care of Maya has me FURIOUS and I'm only 26 minutes in," another Tweet read.
The documentary fast-forwards to a now-17-year-old Maya, her father, and her younger brother Kyle seeking justice from the legal system. In fact, the Daily Mail reported that AndersonGlenn LLP launched a lawsuit against the hospital and a trial date has been set for this coming September. The Kowalski family is seeking $55 million in compensatory and $165 million in punitive damages.
Gregory Anderson, who founded the firm in 1990, said the incidents of late 2016/early 2017 have had an "irreparable" impact on the grieving family.
"The horrific events from the October 7, 2016 admission through Maya's release on January 14, 2017, have been well-documented," Anderson told the outlet. "These events amount to an abduction, incarceration, and abuse of a 10-year-old girl. Her parents were irreparably defamed and damaged."
The full documentary is available to watch now on Netflix.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, please reach out for help and contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741, or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.
