Beata Kowalski was originally from Poland before moving to Venice, Florida. Her husband, Jack, worked as a fire chief (he has since retired), and they had two children, Maya and Kyle. Beata worked as a home-care nurse and was therefore well-acquainted with ailing patients. But her daughter’s initial symptoms were outside her area of experience.
Beata, whose English was imperfect, had a reputation for intensity. In her marriage, she generally took charge when it came to childcare. And when faced with a dilemma like Maya’s increasing pain, Beata’s habit was to dive into research and assertive advocacy for her child’s care. A patient of hers led her to Dr. Anthony Kirkpatrick, who made a formal diagnosis of complex regional pain syndrome. But according to the Herald-Tribune, doctors and staff at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital were alarmed by her manner and suspicious of her mental health. Those initial suspicions led to the initial report of child abuse that drove the Kowalskis apart.
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The family’s attorneys contend that All Children’s staff were dismissive of Beata, who was only trying to speak up for her daughter. And Dr. John Wassenaar, a family pediatrician, defended Beata and her relationship with Maya. “Although Beata Kowalski, as a registered nurse, had more medical knowledge than most parents, I saw nothing to indicate that she was anything other than a loving, caring mother,” he wrote in an affidavit (via DocumentCloud).
