An emotional Freddie Freeman took off his helmet and waved to the crowd at Dodger Stadium as fans cheered him before his first game Monday night.
It was one of many tearful moments as Freeman returned to the Dodgers for the first time since his 3-year-old son Maximus was fighting for his life after being diagnosed with -have Guillen-Barré syndrome, a rare neurological disorder.
Freeman was already in tears when he walked into the clubhouse earlier in the day and saw his teammates and the Dodgers’ training staff wearing T-shirts bearing the name. with his number on the back and “#MaxStrong” written on the front.
The team wore them to show solidarity with Freeman and his family during pregame practice, a gesture the former All-Star said “means a lot.”
“Max is doing great … but he has to learn how to do everything,” Freeman told reporters during a 30-minute press conference, according to the Los Angeles Times. “Terrible syndrome, Guillain-Barré… but it’s a good thing that I’m here, because it means that things are going well. No one should have to go through this, especially with a one-year-old child. 3.”
While Maximus’ recovery is nearing its end, Freeman’s son arrived home from the hospital on Saturday and is moving in the right direction, something that was not lost on Freeman and his wife Chelsea. , who went through the ordeal of watching what they saw. the son passes.
Maximus spent eight days in the intensive care unit and began physical therapy a day later.
“He didn’t deserve this,” Freeman said, according to ESPN. “Nobody deserves this, anybody who goes through this. It’s not just my family. We walked every night, and every room was full. [pediatric ICU]. And that hurts. Too many families face things like this. We are one of the lucky ones who got Guillen-Barré to make a full recovery. There are children out there fighting for their lives right now. It just puts everything in perspective.
“I know Dodger fans don’t like this, but I’d rather walk out with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning in Game 7 of the World Series 300 million times in a row than see it again. But he’s on his way . He’s on his way. It’s going to take a long time.”
Maximus’ condition went from critical to immobilization on the night of July 22 and he was first diagnosed with temporary synovitis, before Chelsea rushed him to the ER after he became unresponsive. sit down and stop eating and drinking in July. 24.
Freeman joined them at the ER that night and Max was released at 3:30, but when he followed up with Maximus’ doctor the next day, the doctor said the Freemans’ son needed to go to the hospital right away. .
Freeman quickly turned around after missing the flight to Houston and joined his family at Children’s Hospital of Orange County, where two and a half hours later Maximus was placed on a ventilator. breathing and was paralyzed from his back.
Two rounds of intravenous immunoglobulin, an immunotherapy used to fight Guillen-Barré, the next day turned the tide and eventually, the 3-year-old began to shoulder damage.
The ventilator came out on Wednesday and Freeman was able to hold his son for the first time a short time later.
“I can’t tell you how great that was, to be able to hold my son again,” Freeman said. “That was a special time, I just know how hard he fought in those five days. You know when he was born we were trying to find a name; we had to preach two children at that time. Chelsea came to Maximus. I’m like, ‘The name is strong.’ I didn’t know that he would show me the truth in four years of his life.”
Freeman said Monday before the Dodgers hosted the Phillies that it felt like a “miracle” that his son was doing well and back on the field.
Maximus can live on his own — a sign of a good foundation of rehabilitation doctors told Freeman — but he will need to learn to walk again.
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