ONE of the last memories she has of being with both her parents is a harrowing one: of them frantic with fear and panic, rushing her to hospital while she writhed in agony.
Maya Kowalski, 10 years old at the time, had severe stomach cramps related to complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), a rare neurological condition that had overtaken her life.
“Her pain was so severe her knees were going up to her chest,” her dad, Jack, recalls. “She was screaming.”
He and his wife, Beata, a registered nurse, were desperate for help for their daughter – but staff at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in Florida in the US had their suspicions about Beata.
Three months later, when Maya eventually left the hospital, her condition had worsened, her family was broken and her mother was dead.
“One day I was in the ICU and my mom kissed me on the forehead and I was like, ‘I love you. I’ll see you tomorrow’. I never saw her again,” 17-year-old Maya says.
The tragic story of the Kowalskis is now the subject of a new Netflix documentary, Take Care of Maya, which delves into how accusations of Munchausen syndrome by proxy led Beata to die by suicide.
Staff at the hospital asked a social worker to look into Beata after she insisted they treat Maya with ketamine, a powerful drug that acts as an anaesthetic to treat chronic pain conditions.
But all doctors and nurses saw was an uncooperative, pushy parent – red flags for child neglect – and Maya was removed from her care.
Denne historien er fra 29 June 2023-utgaven av YOU South Africa.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra 29 June 2023-utgaven av YOU South Africa.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
PUSHED TO THE LIMIT
The unusual relationship between an heiress and her husband has taken a sinister twist
HOW TO MAKE A SUPERBABY
Noor Siddiqui says her company can test embryos for hundreds of conditions from diabetes to Alzheimer's. Critics call it social engineering but she insists she's just giving prospective parents the means to avoid a lot of future heartache
THE GROWN-UP BRAIN
If you think your brain deteriorates as you age, think again!
THE eyes HAVE IT
They're the windows to our soul - and the first place to show the stresses of everyday life. Juliette Winter reveals expert tips to de-puff, brighten and smooth this delicate area
WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER
It hasn't been an easy road but now this bodybuilding couple are making waves in the industry
I CAN'T WAIT FOR SUMMER!
Annetjie's about to get effective treatment for the skin condition that has blighted her life and she's looking forward to hitting the shops and facing the world
'SHE NO THREAT TO ANYONE'
When SA boxer Chris van Heerden's Russian girlfriend went to visit her parents she was thrown in jail and accused of treasonnow he's in a fight to free her
SUNK IN 16 MINUTES!
A sun-drenched holiday turned into a living nightmare for those aboard this luxury vessel
READY TO SMILE AGAIN
A groundbreaking surgical procedure will restore this Limpopo teen's badly damaged jaw and teeth
HARRY AT A CROSSROADS
As the prince turns 40, royal experts paint a picture of a troubled soul- isolated, homesick and struggling to find a purpose in life