One of the last memories she has of being with both her parents is a harrowing one: of them frantic with fear and panic, rushing her to hospital while she writhed in agony.
Maya Kowalski, 10 years old at the time, had severe stomach cramps related to complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), a rare neurological condition that had overtaken her life.
“Her pain was so severe her knees were going up to her chest,” her dad, Jack, recalls. “She was screaming.”