Take Care of Maya — Price of a Hug from Mommy

By Amy H. Chiu

I thought I clicked on another Black Mirror episode. Be prepared to walk into a nightmare.

From worries to concerns to hanging on to a bit of hope, you are then led down to disbelief. As a viewer, you're going to feel the frustration of the mother, the anger to want to fight, and the hopelessness in waiting.

How deep is a parent's love? To what extent are you willing to fight for your children, even if it takes everything you've got? What is considered fair? Is there anything wrong with our system?

What about the line of trust in professionals and proper treatments in trauma?

Take Care of Maya is a documentary based on a family named #Kowalski and their daughter Maya who was taken into hospital due to unusual pain, a pain that grows into an emotional, long-lasting cycle that millions of families resonate with across the country.

Everyone has a story, but not everyone has access to tell one. I'm glad the director sheds light on the case, including multiple audio recordings and video clips. This was one of the most heartbreaking, emotional rollercoaster films I watched this year.

The footage of other parents towards the end had me in tears. They all want one thing in common: to cure their babies and go home together. How and why did some parents end up in prison when there was no direct evidence of child abuse and due diligence investigations?

Is there room for questioning and doubts in the actions taken from both sides? Sure, but at least give the family a voice to present a case. Listen to their concerns and be OK with people asking questions and raising eyebrows.

The once-silenced pain hurts the most.

“I remember hearing the nurses talk about me. ‘She’s a liar. She’s a liar. Don’t believe anything she said. She’s not in pain.’ That’s what they would say to me,” Maya cried while describing her experience at the hospital.

That broke me. The feeling of being ignored and invalidated by credible, influential adults changes you forever, especially if it happens to a young child.

I couldn’t help but imagine Maya’s road to recovery, not just with her physical symptoms but also the trauma of finally approaching an end, being forcefully taken away, giving hope, and then losing it all again.

When you lose someone, it doesn’t just happen once. It happens every day with fresh memories replaying in mind.

A film that is hard to watch but important to watch.

Are some people just heartless, cold-blooded animals? Not necessarily. But the world could use more compassion from one soul to another.

Many of us are simply looking for closure, a sense of peace, to move on.

-

About Amy

IG: @ahcpoetry

More: https://linktr.ee/ahcpoetry

For story-sharing and questions, please reach us at ahcpoetry@gmail.com.

Photo credits to Netflix