Take Care of Maya

As a CRPS II sufferer of over 13 years now I could tell within the first few minutes this is what Maya was suffering from. Unfortunately it is very often misdiagnosed and completely misunderstood by so called medical 'professionals'.

My heart breaks for Maya & her family. As an adult this disease is excruciating and a very hard journey to navigate. Children should NEVER have to experience this condition. Her Mother was a protective warrior advocate! Things should never be this hard. This documentary is a sad but very real insight into a rare complex disease & condition and how sufferers & families are treated, dismissed & often worse, not just in the US, but around the world!

May this much needed documentary shed light on this condition & others and may this family find some justice. This family will forever be in my families hearts & thoughts going forward. We believe you 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 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!

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.

It's multi level $h!t show. From the laws, to CPS, to medical doctors,hospitals, to the courts and lawyers. And it's about money and power.

Beata didn't bow down and give the respect/worship that obviously some had felt entitled to. Don't ask questions. Don't act like you have a brain, don't respect your own voice and individual rights or powers. Know your place. These are all indoctrinated until we don't even know we are living with those chains on. Beata was a hero. As is every other parent you doesn't fold.

The policies and laws should not be governed by popular opinion. It got this way because 30-50 years ago child abuse was perhaps, too easily overlooked, but just like everything else..... things swung to the opposite extreme direction. What's even scarier, are people who REALLY think they are doing the right thing, not realizing they are being driven by any and everything but what is right ethically and morally. I hope this opens up some eyes and hearts, but that we don't go all crazy and swing crazy opposite again. When will we learn?