St. Pete Catalyst; Published By Mark Parker
The second-most watched movie on the world’s most popular streaming platform is a complicated and tragic story involving mysterious conditions, child abuse procedures, legal drama and suicide.
At the center of it all – Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital.
Netflix released Take Care of Maya June 19. The documentary follows Maya Kowalski, who was 9 when she began experiencing a burning sensation in her extremities.
Following controversial treatments, improvement and a subsequent relapse, a 10-year-old Maya ended up at St. Petersburg’s All Children’s Hospital in October 2016. Child abuse allegations followed, and state officials assumed custody of the child.
They forced Maya to live at the hospital for three months. Her mother, Beata, an immigrant from Soviet-controlled Poland and a nurse, became increasingly despondent over the process and scrutiny.
After 87 days without seeing her child, Beata committed suicide. She was 43 years old.
“I think the note that Beata left for Judge (Lee) Hayworth makes it pretty clear that she wanted her child to be free from that hospital,” said family attorney Debra M. Salisbury toward the documentary’s conclusion. “She wanted to make sure that her child got out of there, and she didn’t see any other way out.”
Maya returned to her father’s custody five days after he found her mother hanging in a Venice garage.
As a registered nurse, Beata incessantly documented the family’s struggle to find a cause and treatment for their daughter. Take Care of Maya director Henry Roosevelt relied heavily on those audio and video recordings – along with those made by All Children’s – throughout the documentary.
The filmmakers also utilized court depositions to help narrate the story. They began following the saga four years ago, as the Kowalskis embarked on an expansive lawsuit against the hospital. Read more
