Heartbroken Teen Speaks Out After 'Take Care of Maya' Verdict

As a child, Maya Kowalski was diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome. In 2016, she was admitted to John Hopkins All Children's Hospital in Florida. The hospital staff suspected Kowalski’s mother of Munchausen syndrome by proxy. Child protective services was notified and her mom was ordered to have no contact with her still-hospitalized daughter. Three months later, Kowalski’s mom took her own life. The family later sued the hospital and a jury awarded them $261 million in damages.

[SidewalkCitizenLA]

The most telling thing to me was that the hospital billed her insurance for CRPS treatment the entire time she was admitted. If she wasn't sick, why bill?!?

[FDR-wwxz]

She can’t bring her mom back, but she will fight for her.

[Charlie-yvib]

She looks so broken and exhausted :( I hope she's getting the support she needs.

[read]

Good reporting. I saw this in the news a couple months ago. Glad she won!! So sad what they did to her mother. How couldn’t they see that child was ill? If she was so healthy why did they medically kidnap her? Unbelievable!!!

[kadydelaci]

I was hospitalized with an (at the time) mysterious illness. All my tests were coming back negative, yet I was still declining and they had no idea why. So they separated my mom and I, asked both of us questions separately, and continued to monitor my condition. I was still declining without her, and we both passed the assessments. This was all completed in *one afternoon.*

So 3 months?!? HOW?? They had to be tormenting this family on purpose. I can’t imagine the suffering they went through, day and night.

Money isn’t enough. These healthcare “professionals” need to be banned from practicing ever again.

[pampampam]

Its the fact that the hospital is still sticking behind their treatment of this mother and her daughter that sickens me, im glad she won, I wish someone was facing criminal charges smh

[JeffHulkHemp]

Hope someone be here for this young lady since she is 18 years old .I think she needed a huge hug .

[VaDonteWilliams]

I'm really sorry that Maya, & her family had to go through all this. My heart goes out to them. & I'm with Maya. I'd also choose my mother, over $261 million. Because I love my mother. & she means more to me, than any amount of money.

[apassionpraise]

I have had multiple children delivered in this specific Hospital and the power trip of some of these doctors is insane. They use scare tactics telling you your going to kill your child if you don’t do what they want you to do. Our last child we went to a different hospital and had a great experience. It’s about time that All Childrens gets punished for overreach of power. They need to respect the parental right to decide what’s best for their child period. I hope they learn.

[nimbly]

My mom worked for Child Protective Services, and she told me many a time, that she entirely believed that system does more harm than good.

[PinkkBarbie]

What cathy beedy and the rest of them did to this family was so disgusting. And the fact that maya wasnt the only family this happened to at this hospital, the place should be shut down.

[Screaminglemon]

Their staffs "compassionate care" included isolating the child from her family and support systems, and speaking disparagingly about the child and parent, and refusing to treat the child's pain condition or listen to patient advocates, and m_lesting the child on camera, and lying in reports and on the stand, and robbing the insurance company of $650, 000... just so we're clear. This is the kind of compassionate care that Johns Hopkins All Children's stands behind.

[yadinavarro]

They said she didn’t have that disease, that her mother was making her sick yet the hospital was charging the health insurance treatment for that illness .

[kirstenperez]

I'm so glad she won even though I know she'd rather have her mom back.

[gailgregory]

She deserves everything and more god bless her.

[rhiannonmahoney]

This story is absolutely heartbreaking

[fireice]

RIP Beata You were a kind and loving mother and did not deserve these labels that the so called "Doctors" Put on you. I hope Maya and her family can find comfort and vindication for this.

[darlenenoel]

This hospital has ruined so many lives, and I hope this case verdict opens the floodgates to all of the other families that deserve justice.

[catapodaca]

It had to happen. After watching the nurses take the stand and show absolute perfect textbook moments of sociopathy, I will never see the the most perfect hospitals in the world the same again. Maybe have hospital staff take psych evaluations before.

[janelbbuck]

This family went through so much. All they wanted was help, and this hospital was just out to get them. Ego and pride can be a deadly thing especially in hospitals. I’m glad maya was able to get some justice for her family and for her mother. The fact this hospital is still trying to feign innocence makes me very concerned that this extreme situation could happen again.