This Tragic Netflix Documentary Is “A must-watch”
I love the documentary filmmaking format. Documentaries can allow the audience to see the world through someone else’s eyes and can provide a voice to the voiceless. Take Care of Maya does both. This documentary, streaming now on Netflix, is a heartbreaking representation of one of the most tragic miscarriages of justice in recent memory. But it’s a film that needs to be seen.
The Netflix documentary follows Maya Kowalski, a child who began experiencing a variety of unexplained ailments in 2015. She was unable to walk and endured chronic pain throughout her body. Maya’s parents, Jack and Beata, took the girl to multiple doctors. But they never received definitive answers regarding the cause of her symptoms. Determined to help their daughter find relief from her mysterious condition, Maya’s mother and father took her to an anesthesiologist. The specialist diagnosed Maya with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), a condition that has only recently been widely recognized by medical science. When conventional options for the disorder didn’t work, the specialist recommended ketamine treatment, which proved effective.
What Happened To Maya?
Maya eventually experienced worsening symptoms, which led Jack to take her to the Johns Hopkins emergency room. ER personnel were seemingly unfamiliar with CRPS and began jumping to conclusions without all the information. Based on little more than the exasperated demeanor of Maya’s parents and their insistence that their daughter needed ketamine treatment, hospital staff began to suspect Beata and Jack of Munchausen by Proxy. From there, Maya was put into state custody with Florida’s child welfare department, and Jack and Beata were barred from seeing her.
After Child and Family Services became involved, Maya’s treatment was reevaluated and she was taken off her medication regimen. Not surprisingly, her condition deteriorated and her symptoms worsened.
Beata was deeply impacted by the ordeal, ultimately ending her life because of the profound toll being separated from her daughter and accused of abuse took on her mental health. Before her untimely passing, Beata kept detailed records about every aspect of Maya’s case. Director Henry Roosevelt assembles snippets from the conversations Beata recorded and footage she captured to provide the viewer a front-row seat to the horrors she and Jack endured. Take Care Of Maya chronicles the sense of helplessness they grappled with, making their pain palpable to the viewer.
Conversations Between Mother and Daughter In Take Care Of Maya
Amongst the most heartbreaking conversations Beata captured are those between her and Maya, as the family awaits answers from the legal system. We hear Maya tell her mother (from her hospital bed) that she’s in agonizing pain. Though Beata is limited as to what she can discuss with Maya during these supervised phone calls, absolute anguish comes through her voice. There’s a desperation to her words that can only be described as haunting. As we listen to the recordings, knowing her ultimate fate, that desperation takes on a new context.
Beata’s death is certainly tragic and was preventable. But if there’s a silver lining, it’s that she didn’t die in vain. Her surviving family members have made sure of that. They’ve come together to advocate for change, serve as a voice for the voiceless, and hold people accountable by filing suit. No settlement amount can bring Beata back. But the Kowalski family’s brave legal battle is likely to pave the way for future change and improvements to the way the state handles cases of suspected medical abuse.
What Are Other People Saying About The Netflix Documentary?
I’m not the only one who thinks this Netflix documentary is deeply tragic and a scathing portrayal of our justice system. Many on Twitter agree that Take Care Of Maya also exposes the broken American healthcare system. Even more tragically, many can relate to what unfolded for the Kowalski family. Read just a few reactions below.
Take Care of Maya is easily one of the most devastating documentaries I have watched. But I’m so glad that Roosevelt has helped put Maya’s story out there. If you’re interested in checking the documentary out, you can find it streaming on Netflix.
Categorized:Editorials
