Medical History in the Spotlight
Maya, who turned 18 in December 2023, first experienced debilitating pain in July 2015, leaving her unable to walk and reliant on a wheelchair. Doctors at several institutions suspected conversion disorder, also known as functional neurological disorder, a psychiatric condition that can produce physical pain. Testimony showed Beata Kowalski rejected that diagnosis.
Instead, she pursued high-dose ketamine treatments for complex regional pain syndrome, including a 2015 trip to Monterrey, Mexico, where Maya was placed in a ketamine-induced coma for a week.
Since leaving the hospital in January 2017, Maya has not received ketamine treatments and no longer uses a wheelchair.
What Comes Next
Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital declined to comment on the rehearing denial, pointing instead to an earlier statement from attorney Ethen Shapiro of Hill Ward Henderson, who said the hospital looks forward to defending its staff “in a fair trial on the few remaining claims after rigorous and proper application of immunity.”
An attorney for the Kowalski family did not respond to a request for comment.
