Jack Kowalski is the father of Maya Kowalski and one of the subjects of Netflix’s Take Care of Maya. Learn all that we know about him.
Here we cover his age, where is he day, and his current wife.
Netflix’s Take Care Of Maya: Meet Jack Kowalski, Maya Kowalski Father
Netflix’s “Take Care of Maya” delves deeply into the tragic story of young Maya Kowalski and her entire family, giving us a real understanding of the shadowy side of our medical-legal system. After all, her parents had no idea that her mother would soon be charged with child abuse when they rushed her into the ER in 2016 with symptoms related to her unusual illness.
Jack and Beata had joyfully welcomed their daughter Maya into the world in 2006 and their son Kyle almost two years later, making their family complete in every way. However, the former was the one who first made sure that these helpless beings got the finest of everything; their mother took care of everything, including piano lessons, Polish classes, and life documentation. The former was a firefighter at the time, he had to cope with a new set of duties.
“We had a beautiful house, beautiful neighborhood,” he asserted in the Henry Roosevelt-directed documentary. “It was a dream come true. Paradise. But then Maya started to get sick [in 2015].”
Jack understood the importance of family, he retired while both his kids were still young.
He typically stayed at home to care for Kyle, so this was the start of the mother-daughter team’s continuous visits to various doctors, especially as Beata had a far greater awareness of the medical field. Jack had seen Beata document every conversation, write down doctor’s orders, and perform lengthy reach every night, so he was aware of her commitment to assisting his daughter.
Because she vehemently requested pediatricians at Johns Hopkins Hospital to administer a high dose of ketamine to their then-10-year-old daughter who had Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) following an unexpected flare-up because she knew it worked, he didn’t even question her when the abuse allegations came to light in 2016.
Jack Kowalski Today
In addition to being devastated by nearly losing his daughter to CRPS and still living in terror of a potential relapse, Jack also suffered the indirect loss of his true love due to the same illness. Although such uncommon neurological illnesses might persist in anyone despite their low possibility, the entire medical-legal sector significantly worsened the situation for their family, and that is the one factor he blames.
It should therefore come as no surprise that the Kowalskis have sued All Children’s Hospital, Child Abuse Pediatrician Sally Smith, Social Worker Cathi Bedy, and a third-party company for punitive damages after being upset by their actions.
And from what we can understand, Johns Hopkins intends to go to trial in September 2023 even though Sally Smith and the third party have now settled their portions of the lawsuit. So it seems that the 61-year-old father of two is using his late wife’s notes to prepare for these impending court appearances, all the while keeping her memories alive in his heart.
In addition, he appears to have adopted the job of the neighborhood handyman to keep himself occupied and is making every effort to be the best parent to both Kyle and Maya in order to assure their happiness.
Does Jack Kowalski Have A New Wife?
Jack Kowalski’s current relationship status is unclear. So, whether he has a new wife is not available publicly.
Jack was previously married to Beata Kowalski. Jack first met Beata Zurawski, a native of Poland who had moved to the United States, allegedly in the late 1990s or early 2000s. They quickly fell completely in love. In the original production, the former really explained, “I started falling for her right away.” “She had something special about her. It was in her eyes. She was genuine. She was magic, you know?”
Therefore, it goes without saying that once they were married and started taking their relationship seriously, the licensed nurse never hid her desire to have children with him.
Beata was a native of Elmhurst, Illinois, and lived in Venice, Florida until her death. She passed away on 8 January 2017. She was born on 24 February 1973.
Ahead of the premiere of Netflix’s Take Care of Maya, Maya spoke with PEOPLE and opened up about her painful medical condition and how accusations of Munchausen syndrome by proxy led to her mother Beata’s suicide. When Maya first started having headaches and asthma attacks in 2015, she was nine years old. Her limbs and legs had developed lesions, and her feet had started to spasm and curl. Her symptoms baffled many specialists, with at least one of them speculating that they were all in her head.
The Cleveland Clinic then informed Beata about complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), an uncommon neurological disorder that can result in persistent or intermittent discomfort in the limbs, a burning feeling, and extreme sensitivity to touch. Even simple tasks, like taking your blood pressure, can become agonizing due to the disease.
Maya was transported to the emergency room at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, in October 2016 because she was experiencing excruciating stomach discomfort. The medical staff was informed by her parents that Maya had CRPS. Beata, a certified nurse by training, begged doctors to give her daughter the one medication they thought would ease her pain: a high dose of ketamine.
The hospital personnel became concerned about the request and informed child protective services. Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSP), a mental disease in which a caregiver of a kid either invents phony symptoms or induces genuine symptoms to make it look like the child is hurt or ill, led an investigating team to charge Beata of child abuse later.
Beata was later found not to have a mental illness following a court-ordered psychological assessment, but less than a week after Maya arrived at Johns Hopkins, she was taken into state care and spent more than three months in the hospital away from her family.
“One day I was in the ICU, and my mom kissed me on the forehead and was like, ‘I love you. I’ll see you tomorrow.’ I never saw her again,” Maya shared with PEOPLE. She added, “I was medically kidnapped, I tried being hopeful, but there was a point where I thought, ‘I’m never getting out of this place.’”
Without any contact with her daughter, Beata “was deteriorating,” Jack revealed to the outlet. “She would stay up and research and hardly eat.” And when a judge in a hearing denied Beata the chance to give her daughter a hug, it “destroyed her,” Jack utters. After that, Beata was inconsolable.
More than six years after Beata’s passing, the family has since launched a case against the hospital, and it will go to trial in September. “For us as a family to move on, we need to fulfill my mom’s wish and fight,” Maya says. “I want justice for my mom.”
Besides Maya, Jack and his late wife also had one son named Kyle Kowalski. You can find him on IG and TikTok.
Jack Kowalski Age
1961 is the birth year of Jack Kowalski. He is now 61 years old, turning 62 in July 2023.
Jack Kowalski Job
Jack Kowalski had a job as a Deputy Fire Chief at Broadview Fire Department. However, he is retired now since August 2014.
Is Jack Kowalski On Instagram?
Yes, Jack Kowalski is on Instagram (@jack.a.kowalski).
Related FAQs
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When Is Jack Kowalski Birthday?
Jack Kowalski’s birthday is in July.
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Where Does Jack Kowalski Reside?
After Jack Kowalski’s retirement, he and his family moved to Venice, Florida.
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What Do We Know About Jack Kowalski Family?
Jack Kowalski’s mother Patricia E. Lonergan (daughter of Althea and Edgar Plett) died at the age of 82. At the time of her death, she was married to Don Lonergan.
Some of his cousins and siblings are Mike Kowalski, Tom (Carol) Kowalski, Patricia Lowther (Kowalski), Scott (Wendy) Kowalski, Bob (Kristi) Rynes, Ken (Angela) Rynes, and Peggy Lonergan.
