Physicians are taking note of a rise in both mild and severe cases of Munchausen syndrome by proxy. The condition at the center of Florida’s closely-watched “Take Care of Maya” trial that concluded this week. Doctors told The Post that increased occurrences of the syndrome, where caregivers exaggerate a child’s ailment to elicit sympathy, are fueled by several factors — including the lure of social media attention, the flood of medical information available online, and eroded trust in the medical establishment.
Several doctors testified in the Take Care of Maya case this week to explain their suspicions that Beata Kowalski, mother of 6-year-old Maya, had Munchausen by proxy. The Netflix documentary, which follows Maya’s harrowing hospital ordeal and the subsequent removal of her from her parent’s custody, has garnered a cult following for its unflinching portrayal of the family’s ordeal. But it also paints an incomplete picture of the case.
The case being tried in Sarasota County Circuit Court is the centerpiece of a family’s $220 million lawsuit against Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital and pediatrician Sally Smith. The jury has heard that Smith and a social worker named Catherine Bedy mistreated Maya, which led to her being removed from the home of her parents, Jack and Beata Kowalski.
One of the first witnesses to take the stand was critical care physician Bonnie Rice, who worked with the team that treated Maya at Tampa General Hospital. She testified that the hospital staff was suspicious of Beata Kowalski’s behavior when she began to complain about her daughter’s health.
She said she was suspicious of the mother’s repeated claims that Maya was suffering from severe stomach pain and that the pain seemed to come and go. She also noted that the mother would bring her daughter into the hospital with a variety of symptoms, but they didn’t seem to correlate to any specific illness.
Rice said the team was also concerned about Maya’s constant requests for ketamine, a powerful anesthetic. She explained that it is unusual for a child to demand the drug. She also noted that Maya was thrashing around and seemed distressed, which could signify pain.
Eventually, the hospital took Maya into state custody and forbade the family from having any contact with her without written consent from a medical professional. The couple hired a lawyer and fought to have their daughter back, but at a hearing that month, Pinellas County Judge Lee Haworth was skeptical of the case. He sided with the doctors and ordered Maya to remain at All Children’s, despite Beata offering to move out if it meant she could have her daughter back.
The family later hired a private attorney and filed a lawsuit against the hospital. The lawsuit has since been amended to name Bedy and Smith as defendants, but the jury will decide whether they are liable for Maya’s alleged treatment. Those who have seen the documentary know that there is no question that the allegations in the lawsuit are true.
