The True Story Of Take Care Of Maya Explained (All Updates)
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In early 2015, Maya, who was 10 years old at the time, became extremely sick when she started experiencing severe pain. Her symptoms included chest congestion, trouble breathing, lethargy, headaches, blurred vision, skin lesions, lower limb dystonia, and overall chronic pain. Multiple doctors were confused by symptoms and were at a loss in trying to diagnose her. However, Beata didn't give up, and after months of doctor appointments and hospital visits, the family finally got an answer when they met with Dr. Anthony Kirkpatrick.
Dr. Kirkpatrick diagnosed Maya with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) in September 2015. He was an anesthesiologist and an expert on CRPS, and he was able to recognize that Maya had the syndrome. Following her diagnosis, Dr. Kirkpatrick recommended that Maya be treated with ketamine to lessen her pain and symptoms, as seen in
Take Care of Maya.
Dr. Kirkpatrick started Maya on low dosages of ketamine, but since those proved to be ineffective in treating her symptoms,
the doctor recommended that Maya try a ketamine coma. The procedure, which included giving Maya extremely high dosages of ketamine and putting her in a five-day coma, could only be performed in Mexico. The ketamine coma came with many risks, including potential death, but the Kowalskis knew they had no other options to help Maya escape her chronic pain.
Jack, Beata, and Maya traveled to Monterrey, Mexico in November 2015 so that Maya could receive the ketamine coma.
The procedure was a success and alleviated Maya's symptoms. However, when the family returned to the United States, Maya had to continue receiving low dosages of ketamine to prevent her symptoms from coming back.
The ketamine coma and low dosages of ketamine worked for Maya for about a year until she relapsed on October 7, 2016. She started experiencing extreme pain to the point that she was screaming, so Jack took her to the emergency room of Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, where Beata met them after leaving work.
Unfortunately, once they arrived, none of the nurses or doctors had heard of CRPS and could not treat her for her pain. When Beata got there, she explained that ketamine was the only thing that would help Maya, but the doctors refused to listen to her.
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The staff at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital decided to call child protective services (CPS) because they suspected that Maya was a victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSbP), which is now known as factitious disorder imposed on another (FDIA). Dr. Sally Smith, a child abuse pediatrician, arrived at the hospital on October 11, four days after Maya was admitted, and she started questioning Jack and Beata.
Dr. Smith concluded that the couple was abusing their daughter, and Maya was put under state custody, meaning Jack and Beata couldn't see her.
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