The Story Behind Netflix’s Take Care of Maya

“They kept trying to tell me that my mom was hurting me. They were wrong.” — Maya Kowalski.

Jenny Krueger
6 min readDec 23, 2023
Photo from Netflix: Edited by Author using Canva.

Trigger Warning: Child Abuse, Suicide, Medical Mistreatment.

If you have been reading my work for a while, you know how much I love horror movies and true crime.

While searching through Netflix, I came across the documentary called Take Care of Maya. The film follows Jack and Beata Kowalski and Maya, their 9-year-old daughter.

Maya begins experiencing headaches, skin lesions, breathing problems, crippling chronic pain, and lower limb dystonia.

Her parents take her to multiple doctors and hospitals, looking for answers to Maya’s mysterious illness.

Unfortunately, the family is unable to get an actual diagnosis. Maya’s mother, Beata, is a nurse and decides to document every medical appointment.

In September 2015, Beata searched the internet for answers and discovered Dr. Anthony Kirkpatrick, who diagnosed Maya with advanced CRPS — complex regional pain syndrome.

Kirkpatrick recommends treating Maya with ketamine, but low doses are ineffective; that’s when Dr. Kirkpatrick suggests to Jack and Beata a ketamine coma.

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Jenny Krueger

Lifestyle Writer | Chronic Pain Sufferer | Sepsis Survivor | Golden Girls Enthusiast, Las Vegas Fanatic & Horror Movie Lover. https://linktr.ee/jennybwriter