The Heartbreaking Story Of Maya Kowalski, A Teen Who’s Made National Headlines For Being Awarded $261 Million After A Hospital Was Found Liable On Several Claims That Resulted In Her Mother’s Tragic Death
The name Maya Kowalski has been in the headlines for the last few months, and her story is nothing short of heartbreaking. However, Maya and her family’s resilience is inspiring, and they’re bringing attention to a major issue in America.
Maya Kowalski is the 17-year-old daughter of Jack Kowalski and her late mother, Beata. Maya, her parents, and her brother Jack were happily living in Venice, Florida when she first began experiencing strange symptoms in 2015.
At 10-years-old, Maya began suffering from painful burning sensations all over her body, specifically in her legs and feet. Her feet began to involuntarily turn inward, preventing her from properly walking, and lesions randomly formed on her body. She would cry in the middle of the night, and Beata, who was a registered nurse, struggled to find ways to relieve her pain, unaware of what was causing it.
After several doctor’s visits, Beata further researched Maya’s symptoms and was referred to local anesthesiologist Anthony Kirkpatrick, who specialized in an extremely rare condition called complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), which can cause sensitivity, chronic pain, muscle atrophy, etc.
Because CRPS is so rare, many doctors in Maya’s area were not aware of the condition and were unable to diagnose Maya with it. However, in her first few visits with Dr. Kirkpatrick, he quickly diagnosed her with CRPS. He recommended a treatment plan involving doses of Ketamine, a drug often associated with being a dangerous recreational drug for its hallucinogenic effects.
For patients with CRPS, Ketamine is an extremely effective drug, as it can get their nervous system to stop firing pain signals and ease their discomfort. Ketamine infusions helped Maya tremendously with her CRPS. After receiving a high-intensity Ketamine treatment in Mexico, the only country where such treatment was legal, she was feeling much better and able to move around a lot easier.
Then, in October 2016, Maya was taken to the emergency room at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital by her father because she was having intense, painful flare-ups from her CRPS.
When Beata joined Maya and Jack at the hospitals, she began insisting that the staff give her Ketamine, trying to explain to them that it would be the only way for Maya to get any pain relief and tolerate any tests or examinations.
Nurses and doctors in the hospital became concerned by Beata trying to get them to give her daughter such an intense drug and began bringing Maya’s case to the attention of social workers.
sudok1 – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
Eventually, hospital staff brought in Dr. Sally Smith, a doctor for Child Protective Services, who, after a very brief interview with Maya and her father, opened an abuse investigation and believed Maya was the victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy and that her Beata had the mental illness.
Essentially, Beata was being accused of medically abusing her daughter.
Maya was then placed into state custody and kept in Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital for over 90 days with very little visitation with her father and no in-person access to her mother. Beata, who carefully documented everything related to Maya’s medical history with CRPS, tried desperately to get custody of her daughter back while insisting that she be properly treated for her condition.
Not long after a disappointing court visit, where Beata was told she wouldn’t even be able to hug her daughter while she was being held in the state’s custody, she tragically took her life in January of 2017, leaving behind a note that stated she could no longer take the pain of being away from her daughter. She was 43 years old. Maya had been at the hospital for 87 days.
Not long after Beata’s tragic death, Maya was released from the hospital and into her father’s care.
He was permitted to take her to a different specialist who confirmed she definitely had CRPS.
A documentary on Maya and her family’s story titled “Take Care of Maya” was released on Netflix in June 2023, and three months later, they went to trial for their lawsuit against Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital.
In early November, there was a settlement, and the hospital was found liable on several claims, including false imprisonment, infliction of emotional distress, and medical negligence. The Kowalskis were awarded $261 million.
While the settlement cannot bring back Beata, Maya’s case has drawn attention to hundreds of other families who went through something similar, where parents were wrongfully accused of abusing their children after trying to get them help for a medical-related issue.
Maya is still living in Venice with her father and brother as they continue to try to heal and share their powerful story.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
More About:True Crime