Shocking revelations in the Maya Kowalski case against Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital have emerged during the trial. The care team that looked after young Maya, the central figure in Netflix’s documentary “Take Care of Maya,” expressed concerns about potential medical child abuse due to her mother’s unwavering insistence on extensive medical treatments.
Testimony from Nurse Practitioner Bonnie Rice, who managed Maya’s care at Tampa General Hospital, suggests a struggle between medical intervention and the belief in psychological origins of Maya’s pain.
Rice’s video deposition presented to the jury revealed that Maya’s mother, Beata Kowalski, strongly resisted the medical diagnosis offered by the care team. Rice testified that Beata was excessively focused on medical tests and treatments, leading the care team to suspect psychological and psychiatric issues were contributing to Maya’s problems. They feared the risk of unnecessary testing and treatments.
Maya’s removal from her parents’ custody on suspicion of medical child abuse was prompted by the use of high doses of ketamine, an anesthetic, advocated by Beata during their visit to All Children’s Hospital in 2016. This raised concerns among hospital staff, leading to a call to the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF). Tragically, Beata Kowalski took her life three months later.
