Cuiden a Maya

As "Take Care of Maya" (2023 release; 103 min.) opens, It's "February 24, 2021" as we are introduced to a guy named Jack. He muses "There is nothing that could prepare me for what I went through." We then go back in time: Jack remembers meeting Beata, and eventually they have 2 kids, a girl and a boy. The girl, Maya, suffers from a strange illness when she is 9... At this point we are less than 15 minutes into the documentary.

Couple of comments: this is the latest documentary from director Henry Roosevelt ("Tough Guys"). Here he examines the phenomenon currently referred to as medical child abuse (a/k/a Munchausen's by proxy). Jack and Beata bring Maya to the ER at Johns Hopkins All Children's, and next thing we know the hospital calls in Children Protective Services, and things only get worse from there.. I mean, you have to see it for yourself because otherwise you won't believe it. (The fact that Florida outsources its privatized child welfare service to a third party should be an INSTANT red flag, but hey that's Florida for ya.) The results are as predictable as they are preventable. Families shredded apart? No worries. Lives destroyed? Who cares. I honestly don't know how some of these people can sleep at night. This documentary is bound to get under your skin, if not outright infuriate you. Don't say I didn't warn you!

"Take Care of Maya" premiered recently at the Tribeca, to immediate critical acclaim. There is good reason why this documentary is rated 91% Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. It started airing on Netflix a few days ago, which is where I saw it. If you are in the mood for a medical=themed documentary that is equally heartbreaking as it is infuriating, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

I suffer from CRPS.

I also have other medical issues that end me in the hospital. I have to explain to each doc that comes in what CRPS is. EACH TIME. Noone wants to believe you. You lose friends, relationships and family members. And most medical people think your lying or it's in your head.

This is why it's nickname is "The Suicide Disease.

I've never wanted to throw something at my tv so bad before. I feel for this family. Especially for Maya and the loss she has suffered. Stress can trigger a CRPS flare up. Just like the hurricane did.

The ignorance and arrogance of these doctors are unreal.

Great documentary.

I'll try to hold onto the belief that everyone in this scenario had the best interests of children at the heart in their positions. I'll try, although there's a huge conflict of interest issue that I'd like to see a second documentary tackle all in itself.

(The assessor also being part of the for-profit corporate care system that the referred children go into.)

But lets say that the care givers are there still to "do no harm" and were wanting the best for Maya. This documentary still poses the problem of what to do for "unicorn" illnesses. What to do when doctors from different establishments differ on diagnosis and treatment. Who gets to decide when there's not a widely established protocol?

And mainly, who gets the final decisions when it comes to health.

I'm not sure whose diagnosis and treatment are better, frankly, and will have to read more. Perhaps on that it was a toss up or even that the hospital involved was right.

However, when a hospital thinks parents seeking treatment for a child are wrong for following a doctors orders, there I can see what everyone else here is seeing. How would a mother or father know which doctor to trust? And why would they believe this group at the hospital when they've seen actual improvement before this that no one else got?

There had to be a better way to handle this.

There had to be a more HUMANE way to handle this.

There should be a less corporate, systemic way to handle this.

But unfortunately for some, the system overrules the carers and a few bad apples playing into that spoil it for the bunch.

This popped up on Netflix when I was looking for something to watch, other than the brief synopsis I didn't know anything more. I live in Australia and had not heard about this case.

Wow... to say I was furious by the end is an understatement. I understand that the safety of a child is always paramount but the hospital and doctors not taking responsibility for their part in what happened is disgusting. I don't know how they sleep at night.

I feel terrible for the Kowalski family and any family that has had to deal with what is obviously a flawed system.

As a race we have come so far, but as human beings we lack the compassion necessary to elevate ourselves to the next level. The society we have created is now out of control and it seems that money and power are our driver.

I also suffer from CRPS/RSD. I have type 2. Started in 2015 and I am almost now full body. I relate to Maya and this family in so many ways. My thoughts are with this young lady. The disease is real, the pain is unbearable, there Is no cure yet. Hoping to see a cure in my lifetime. Stay strong Maya.

For those reviews that I read that called this a fake disease, I pray you never get it. Better yet, live with this for a single day. One day. I bet you would not call it a fake disease after that. I have an implant to keep my pain at a tolerable level and my feet straight.

"I REFUSE TO SINK" keep that in mind fellow warriors!