Back with Dodgers, emotional Freddie Freeman details son’s health scare

LOS ANGELES — Freddie Freeman returned to the Los Angeles Dodgers early Monday afternoon — within the wake of a harrowing two-week stretch by which his 3-year-old son, Maximus, battled a uncommon neurological dysfunction — and noticed new T-shirts adorning each locker. They had been Dodger Blue, with Freeman’s title and quantity on the again and the phrase “#MaxStrong” emblazoned on the entrance.

Moments later, all of the Dodgers’ coaches and gamers wore them throughout pregame exercises in solidarity with their star first baseman and his youngest baby.

“That is the primary time I cried as we speak,” Freeman mentioned. “It means so much.”

Freeman’s feelings returned throughout a 30-minute session with reporters as he detailed the ache of seeing his son endure. Max was identified with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a situation by which the physique’s immune system assaults its nerves, inflicting weak spot, numbness and, in Max’s case, paralysis.

Max woke on July 22 with a slight limp and went into full paralysis 4 days later, prompting Freeman to hurry residence from a sequence on the Houston Astros. By Wednesday, medical doctors eliminated Max from his ventilator.

5 days after that, Freeman was again within the Dodgers’ lineup for the beginning of a three-game sequence with the Philadelphia Phillies, enjoying first base and batting third. He completed 1-for-4 within the Dodgers’ 5-3 win and was greeted by a protracted standing ovation earlier than his first at-bat. The Phillies joined the applause from their dugout. The pitch clock was stopped as he stepped out of the batter’s field, eliminated his helmet and waved to the group, earlier than then touching his proper hand to his chest.

“I used to be doing OK tipping my hat after which my dad was sitting first row with my stepmom, and he was — I do not know if I may name it crying, however he was choked up and teary-eyed,” Freeman mentioned. “That is what actually bought me going.”

Max spent eight days in a pediatric intensive care unit earlier than being discharged Saturday. The following day, he started bodily remedy.

Max’s persona is again, Freeman mentioned, “however he is bought to discover ways to do just about all the things.”

Most significantly, Max is predicted to make a full restoration.

“He did not deserve this,” Freeman mentioned. “Nobody deserves this, anyone who goes via this. It isn’t simply my household. We had been going each night time, and each room is crammed within the [pediatric ICU]. And that’s heartbreaking. So many households are going via issues like this. We’re one of many fortunate ones that bought Guillain-Barré that he might need a full restoration. There are children on the market who’re preventing for his or her lives proper now. It simply places all the things in perspective.

“I do know Dodger followers don’t love this, however I might gladly strike out with the bases loaded within the backside of the ninth inning in Sport 7 of the World Sequence 300 million occasions in a row than see that once more. However he is on his approach. He is on his approach. It should be a protracted highway.”

Max went from a noticeable limp to being unable to stroll on the night time of July 22. Docs initially identified him with transient synovitis, a short lived irritation of the hip joint’s lining that’s frequent in younger youngsters. By the subsequent day, Max could not sit up.

Late on the night time of July 24, Freeman’s spouse, Chelsea, contacted the Dodgers’ clubhouse supervisor, Alex Torres, in a panic. Max wasn’t consuming or consuming and wanted to go to the hospital. Supervisor Dave Roberts waited for Freeman within the dugout in the course of the ninth inning of a sport the Dodgers had been shedding to the visiting San Francisco Giants and informed him he wanted to go residence. Docs ran assessments, put Max on an IV, gave him Toradol (a powerful anti-inflammatory drug) and discharged him at 3:30 within the morning.

Freeman performed in a day sport the next afternoon, boarded the crew’s flight to Houston and awaited phrase from Max’s follow-up appointment along with his doctor. The physician informed Chelsea that Max wanted to be transported to the hospital instantly, prompting Freeman to hurry to the airport and get the primary flight again out to Southern California. Inside 2½ hours, Max was on a ventilator to bolster his lungs as a result of the paralysis was affecting his diaphragm. He could not transfer any a part of his physique beneath his neck. Freeman discovered him in that state when he arrived on the emergency room at 10 p.m.

“I believe quite a lot of us are mother and father in right here,” Freeman mentioned, his voice cracking whereas he clenched a towel close to his face. “To see one in every of your youngsters on a ventilator preventing … it was onerous.”

Momentum started to show the next morning. Docs started a spherical of intravenous immunoglobulin — a sort of immunotherapy used as a primary line of protection in opposition to Guillain-Barré — at 6 a.m. One other dosage adopted 13 hours later. Lower than 10 minutes after that, Max started to shrug his shoulders, a significant signal that he is perhaps turning a nook. By final Tuesday, there was speak of pulling his ventilator; the next day — at exactly 10:46 p.m., as Freeman recalled — it occurred.

Max sat on his lap moments later.

“I am unable to let you know how good that felt, to have the ability to maintain my son once more,” Freeman mentioned. “That was a particular time, simply figuring out how onerous he fought in these 5 days. , when he was born, we had been attempting to determine a reputation; we needed to title two youngsters at the moment. Chelsea came across Maximus. I am like, ‘That is a powerful title.’ I did not know he was going to show me true inside 4 years of his life.”

Freeman expressed equal components disappointment and aid on Monday. There additionally was gratitude — to the slew of gamers and coaches all through the trade who reached out, together with Milwaukee Brewers supervisor Pat Murphy and his gamers, who despatched a supportive video; to the Dodgers, who regularly informed him to take as a lot time away as he wanted; and, most notably, to the crew of medical doctors and nurses at Youngsters’s Hospital of Orange County.

“I am right here 9 days after, and it looks like a miracle,” Freeman mentioned. “It actually does. So, I am unable to thank them sufficient.”

The precise explanation for Guillain-Barré syndrome is just not identified, and there’s no identified remedy. Most sufferers make a full restoration, in response to the Mayo Clinic, however some critical instances might be deadly. It could actually progress quickly, making early detection crucial.

Max can sit up on his personal, which medical doctors have mentioned provides him a superb baseline for restoration. His arms are curled up, and he must relearn the way to stroll, however finally, Freeman believes, he’ll make a full restoration. After Monday’s sport, Chelsea texted Freeman an image of Max doing tummy time and smiling.

“He appeared pleased about it,” Freeman mentioned. “That was stunning to us.”

Freeman, understandably, did not watch any of the Dodgers’ video games in Houston final weekend, maintaining his consideration fixated on his son and hoping for even the slightest twitch. He lastly started to swing the bat once more Tuesday morning, largely to get unfastened after spending the earlier 4 nights sleeping on a hospital sofa. He hit off a tee once more Thursday.

The following day, Freeman talked to Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman about coming again. His return Monday prompted the Dodgers to designate infielder Cavan Biggio for task.

Freeman would not know the way he’ll deal with enjoying, however his son’s progress is giving him consolation.

“I am right here as a result of issues are higher at residence,” Freeman mentioned. “He’s on his approach for restoration. He is at residence pleased. I mentioned, ‘Are you excited to observe Daddy on TV tonight?’ He mentioned, ‘Sure.'”

Freeman struck out in his first at-bat and referred to as it “one of the vital nice strikeouts I’ve ever had in my massive league profession.” He got here again up within the third inning and lined a base hit to proper area, igniting a “Freddie!” chant from an introduced crowd of 48,178 folks — the identical chants he heard early within the 2021 season, when he was clearly nonetheless emotional about not signing again with the Atlanta Braves.

Upon reaching first base, Freeman wrapped Phillies star Bryce Harper in a hug. Harper, Freeman mentioned, “most likely texted at the least 4 occasions throughout 9 days, actually checking in.”

“I am simply very grateful for the baseball neighborhood, lifting up Max in prayer and love and help,” Freeman mentioned. “It should be a protracted journey for him, nevertheless it’s a lovely factor that he is on the trail to being recovered.”