Take Care Of Maya Movie Review (2023)

A deeply emotional documentary about a young girl’s disputed medical condition and the family torn apart by the systems meant to protect her, Take Care Of Maya uses extensive recordings, interviews, and documentation to create an intimate picture of unimaginable trauma.

I am a huge fan of documentaries. I have never been a reader of non-fiction books, but I thoroughly enjoy learning about other people and their situations. With stories like Wildflower, which tells the true story of a girl being raised by two developmentally delayed parents, or Coma, which follows a number of people who have been in traumatic brain injury comas, it feels even more raw. Medical journeys are very personal and often very complicated, which is why it is such a gift when people share their stories.

Take Care Of Maya is about the Kowalski family, including parents Beata and Jack, 9-year-old Maya, and her younger brother, Kyle. When Maya begins telling her parents that she is in horrible pain and they see an increase in other physical ailments, they take her to doctor after doctor to try to find her help. Eventually, she is diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and given controversial treatment in Mexico. It helps tremendously, but due to financial constraints, the Kowalskis must switch doctors, and eventually, Maya has a setback. Taking her to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital for help, the medical staff begins to question Maya’s diagnosis and Beata’s adamant stance on her treatments. Ultimately, Maya is separated from her family and kept at the hospital for what the hospital believes is her own good.

This story touched me deeply. I am a human who has a number of chronic illnesses, one of which is rare. Medical professionals are either completely versed in it or have maybe heard the name but know nothing. I have learned that it is my job to teach them how my body works, what I need, and what I hope they can help me with. But unlike Maya, I am an adult. I can advocate for myself, which is hard and disheartening when professionals don’t believe you, but I can always choose a new doctor. There is only moderate red tape for me.

In the case of Maya and her parents, as with so many other families, they want to find the best possible care as quickly as possible. They understand Maya’s challenges and pain intimately, and all they want is for her to be a happy, healthy child. She may never have the full freedom of movement, and she may always be in some pain, but, with the right diagnosis, treatments, and care team, she can improve.

I imagine that being a medical professional, particularly in pediatrics, can be incredibly difficult. You are tasked not only with treating a child but also with making sure they are in a safe environment. And often, when someone becomes convinced of something, they can put on blinders. Evidence to the contrary doesn’t matter, and, if that person has the power, as a hospital system most definitely does, things can go terribly wrong.

My heart breaks for Maya and her family for what she had to endure, but this is the kind of documentary that needs to be seen. There are many families who will unknowingly find themselves at odds with a doctor or care team because they aren’t believed about their child’s condition, and one would never expect things to go awry until they suddenly do. It is imperative for doctors to see when a patient is being mistreated by loved ones, but it is vitally important to really listen. It is unbelievably difficult to tell a doctor your story and have them not believe you. I cannot begin to imagine the pain involved in not only not being believed, but having to watch your child suffer those consequences and being kept away from her at the same time.

Runtime: 104 minutes

Motion Picture Rating: PG-13

Languages Spoken In The Film: English

Should You Watch It? Yes

Did I Cry? Nope

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

Available: Free on Netflix