Where is Dr. Anthony Kirpatrick from Take Care of Maya now? The status of the doctor explored
Dr. Anthony Kirpatrick is a doctor featured in the Netflix documentary Take Care of Maya. The true crime documentary from Netflix chronicles the chilling story of Maya Kowalski and how systemic violence led to serious repercussions for her family. Dr. Anthony Kirpatrick was the first doctor who diagnosed a young Maya and advised treatment for her.
The synopsis of the documentary, as per Netflix Tudum, reads:
"In 2016, Jack and Beata Kowalski took their daughter, Maya, to a hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida. The 10-year-old was admitted to the ER with a severe stomach ache. Instead of a quick hospital stay, Maya was taken from her parents and kept there."
It further reads:
“The tragedy that unfolded next is the subject of the investigative documentary Take Care of Maya, a troubling exploration of how a fractured healthcare industry tore a family apart."
When Maya's family filed a lawsuit against Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital for systemic oppression, Dr. Anthony Kirpatrick stood by them and even testified against the hospital in court. Dr. Anthony Kirkpatrick, who is 79 years old, is currently the Medical Director of The International Research Foundation for RSD/CRPS at Tampa Surgery Center.
Did Dr. Anthony Kirpatrick prescribe Ketamine to Maya?
The Kowalskis' life was going well until Maya Kowalski became ill one day in 2015, with symptoms that ranged from blindness to excruciating agony. Maya saw several physicians who could not determine the cause of her condition.
Dr. Anthony Kirkpatrick diagnosed her with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). Dr. Kirkpatrick then recommended a ketamine infusion treatment, which had previously shown positive outcomes for many patients. A CRPS sufferer experiences sporadic episodes of excruciating pain that are far worse than typical discomfort. Even a slight touch has the potential to cause excruciating pain.
Thankfully, Maya responded well to the ketamine infusion and recovered considerably despite her inability to remain motionless. Due to her condition, Maya needed to take large doses of ketamine.
Who is Doctor #1 in Take Care of Maya?
Dr. Anthony Kirpatrick is the first doctor who diagnosed the CRPS condition for Maya, as shown in the Netflix documentary. The Kowalski family sought the assistance of CRPS specialist Dr. Anthony Kirkpatrick, who started treating Maya with ketamine infusions. Maya was placed on a five-day "ketamine coma" when her symptoms didn't go away.
When Maya, now 17 years old, looked back on the therapy in 2023, she told the newspaper that after the ketamine coma, she "felt amazing."
Maya Kowalski, the youngster at the focus of Netflix's Take Care of Maya, would have died a "slow, painful death," according to Dr.Kirpatrick, who administered her ketamine injections.
Dr. Anthony Kirkpatrick testified that Kowalski, 17, had complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and needed the treatments to be able to accomplish simple tasks like feeding herself and brushing her hair.
He testified in a $220 million lawsuit against Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital amid a legal dispute started by the teen's family after she was taken from their custody as a young child and detained there.
What did the hospital do to Maya Kowalski?
Maya was doing fine with her ketamine treatment until she relapsed in 2016. When she complained of stomach pain, her parents drove her to Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital.
As per the documentary, at the age of 10, Maya Kowalski was taken into state custody for three months after medical professionals at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital started to suspect that her parents were fabricating signs of her crippling illness.
Dr. Sally Smith, a child abuse pediatrician, believed that Maya was a child abuse victim and diagnosed her mother, Beata, with Munchausen syndrome by proxy (mental sickness and child abuse, wherein a child's caregiver falsely believes their child is in need of medical assistance).
Although Dr. Anthony Kirpatrick offered objective evidence regarding Maya's diagnosis and need for ketamine, Dr. Smith, along with the hospital, prevented Maya's parents from seeing her. Maya was put into State Custody for three months.
Maya's parents were extremely concerned about how the hospital thought that Maya was lying about her pain. Beata became even more concerned for her daughter's safety when she learned that the nurse accompanying her was facing charges of child abuse. Her mother, Beata, eventually committed suicide, citing her separation from her daughter due to the hospital and the court judge.
Although the Kowalski's have filed a $220 million lawsuit against the Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, it does not bring back Beata, who suffered due to extreme negligence and harassment on the part of the hospital. Take Care of Maya is currently streaming on Netflix. Watch it to get the full details of what happened to Maya Kowalski.
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Ivanna Lalsangzuali