Cathi Bedy was a social worker from Florida who was named in Maya Kowalski lawsuit. Catherine Bedy is a licensed clinical social worker with years of experience.
The newest Netflix documentary, “Take Care of Maya,” tells a heartwrenching story of a teenager seeking justice for her mother, who took her life after being accused of Munchausen by proxy.
Munchausen by proxy is a mental illness and a form of child abuse where the child’s caretaker, very often a mom, either makes up fake symptoms or causes real symptoms to make it look like the kid is sick.
And though a court-ordered psychological evaluation cleared her mom, Beata Kowalski, of any mental illness, the little girl was placed into state custody for three months.
The mother fell into despair, not being able to meet and care for her daughter. In January 2017, she took her life. She was just 43.
Maya’s father, Jack Kowalski, who had also been suffering over his child getting ripped away from him, now had to share the intolerable news that her mom took her life.
The teenager shares the tragic story in Netflix’s new documentary, which premiered at the Tribeca Festival. The awaited movie will be available to stream from June 19, 2023.
Where Is Cathi Bedy Now?
Cathi Bedy is a social worker assigned to Maya Kowalski in her case. Catherine worked as a Lincensed Clinical Social Worker at OBGYN Associates.
The Kowalskis later learned that Cathi had been fired from a previous post of looking after foster-care kids for Suncoast when she was taken into custody and charged with child abuse.
Fellow Suncoast employees called the cops when they watched her pin a 10-year-old boy to the ground with her knees. She covered the kid’s face with a blanket as the boy cried out for help.
The girl suffering from Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) was placed into John Hopkins All Children’s Hospital’s pediatric care for over 92 days under the supervision of Bedy.
However, the family harbored doubts about her trustworthiness, as she had previously faced child abuse accusations.
During the state custody, the state’s shelter order was revised allowing the father some visitation rights and permitting the mother to contact her daughter by phone and video.
But the hospital staff were imposing additional restrictions. Catherine, also known as Cathi, declined several of Beata’s FaceTime calls, which became from daily to once a week.
Later in January 2017, just before Maya was to be transferred from the hospital to another hearing, Cathi entered her room alongside a nurse.
The hospital’s risk management team wanted photos of the little girl to be taken before the proceeding. Kowalski refused to cooperate and take her clothes off.
Bedy even threatened her that if she didn’t, she wouldn’t be permitted to go to the courthouse and see her mom. Maya still disagreed.
She then forcibly started removing her shirt and pant; Kowalski wrote an account of it that was included in a legal filing. She said she was crying and telling her to stop, but she didn’t listen.
“Bedy pinned me face down and either she or the nurse took photos of me in my training bra and shorts,” Maya Kowalski wrote.
Maya Kowalski Case And Settlement
The Kowalskis sued All Children’s, Suncoast, DCF, Dr. Sally Smith, and Cathi Bedy in October 2018. By that time, the family had endured immense pain, and Maya had lost her mother.
The judge determined that there was enough evidence for punitive damages for the charges of battery and false imprisonment.
Earlier this year, Suncoast and Smith settled their portion of the lawsuit for $2.5 million. The case against All Children’s Hospital and childcare social worker Bedy continues.
In March, on the eve of jury selection, a judge delayed their trial indefinitely. Jack says he is determined on deterring the hospital from separating kids from their families.
Maya’s symptoms began shortly after the family moved to Venice from Chicago in 2014. She had asthma attacks that turned into muscle weakness, leading to burning sensations.
A diagnosis eluded doctor after doctor, leaving the Kowalskis distressed and confused.
Later, Dr. Anthony Kirkpatrick, an anesthesiologist, believed that the then 9-year-old suffered from a rare neurological condition called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome.
The disorder impairs the central nervous system and causes severe pain sensations. Two other specialists also came to the same conclusion.
The family followed a number of doctor-recommended treatments but a monthly infusion of ketamine, a powerful anesthetic, seemed to work best for the little girl.
But her condition continued to deteriorate, spending days curled in a fetal position. It was one of those days in October 2016, when she was rushed to All Children’s with excruciating stomach pain.
There, doctors began to doubt her condition and her mom’s mental health. Beata was accused of Munchausen syndrome by proxy.
She was then immediately separated from her kid. Maya was placed in state custody less than a week after she checked into All Children’s.
After more than 87 days of staying away from her daughter, Beata took her life.
“I’m sorry,” she wrote in an email discovered after her passing, “but I no longer can take the pain of being away from Maya and being treated like a criminal.”
Kowalski was released into her dad’s custody five days after her mom’s passing.
The family has since filed a lawsuit against All Children’s and more than six years after Beata Kowalski’s ‘death’, the trial will start in September.
Where Is The Kowalski Family Now?
The Kowalski family is still living in Florida and preparing for the upcoming trial in September 2023. Maya still suffers severe pain in her arms and legs.
Mature and well-spoken, the 17-year-old is academically ambitious. She even took part in Duke University’s Talent Identification Program organized for gifted children.
Diagnosed with CRPS, she manages her pain following a daily regimen of intensive exercise.
“I still have pain, but it’s not as severe as it once was. I’m forever grateful for that,” she said. In March, she competed in her first figure-skating tournament in five years and took first place.
Much of what happened to the family at John Hopkins should not have occurred.
Jack says, “Psychologically, it destroyed all of us.” “When somebody knocks on our door, now you don’t want to answer it because you’re worried it’s somebody from Children and Families,” he added.
For an extended time, none of the Kowalskis would dare to enter the garage, where they found Beata hanging motionless from the ceiling.