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Alden Gonzalez, ESPN Employees Author
LOS ANGELES — Freddie Freeman returned to the Los Angeles Dodgers early Monday afternoon — within the wake of a harrowing two-week stretch through 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 little one.
“That is the primary time I cried immediately,” Freeman mentioned. “It means rather a lot.”
Freeman’s feelings returned throughout a 30-minute session with reporters as he detailed the ache of seeing his son undergo. Max was recognized with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a situation through which the physique’s immune system assaults its nerves, inflicting weak point, 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, taking part in 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 gang, 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 might 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 subsequent day, he started bodily remedy.
Max’s character is again, Freeman mentioned, “however he is bought to discover ways to do just about the whole lot.”
Most significantly, Max is predicted to make a full restoration.
“He did not deserve this,” Freeman mentioned. “Nobody deserves this, anyone who goes by way of this. It isn’t simply my household. We had been going each evening, and each room is stuffed within the [pediatric ICU]. And that’s heartbreaking. So many households are going by way of 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 the whole lot in perspective.
“I do know Dodger followers don’t love this, however I’d gladly strike out with the bases loaded within the backside of the ninth inning in Sport 7 of the World Collection 300 million instances in a row than see that once more. However he is on his manner. He is on his manner. It’ll be a protracted highway.”
Max went from a noticeable limp to being unable to stroll on the evening of July 22. Medical doctors initially recognized him with transient synovitis, a short lived irritation of the hip joint’s lining that’s widespread in younger kids. By the following day, Max could not sit up.
Late on the evening of July 24, Freeman’s spouse, Chelsea, contacted the Dodgers’ clubhouse supervisor, Alex Torres, in a panic. Max wasn’t consuming or ingesting and wanted to go to the hospital. Supervisor Dave Roberts waited for Freeman within the dugout in the midst of the ninth inning of a sport the Dodgers had been dropping to the visiting San Francisco Giants and advised him he wanted to move residence. Medical doctors ran checks, put Max on an IV, gave him Toradol (a robust anti-inflammatory drug) and discharged him at 3:30 within the morning.
Freeman performed in a day sport the next afternoon, boarded the staff’s flight to Houston and awaited phrase from Max’s follow-up appointment along with his doctor. The physician advised 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 strengthen 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 a variety of us are dad and mom in right here,” Freeman mentioned, his voice cracking whereas he clenched a towel close to his face. “To see considered one of your children on a ventilator preventing … it was laborious.”
Momentum started to show the next morning. Medical doctors started a spherical of intravenous immunoglobulin — a kind 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 serious signal that he may be turning a nook. By final Tuesday, there was discuss 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 realizing how laborious he fought in these 5 days. , when he was born, we had been making an attempt to determine a reputation; we needed to title two children at the moment. Chelsea stumbled on Maximus. I am like, ‘That is a robust title.’ I did not know he was going to show me true inside 4 years of his life.”
Freeman expressed equal elements disappointment and reduction on Monday. There additionally was gratitude — to the slew of gamers and coaches all through the business who reached out, together with Milwaukee Brewers supervisor Pat Murphy and his gamers, who despatched a supportive video; to the Dodgers, who frequently advised him to take as a lot time away as he wanted; and, most notably, to the staff of medical doctors and nurses at Youngsters’s Hospital of Orange County.
“I am right here 9 days after, and it seems like a miracle,” Freeman mentioned. “It actually does. So, I am unable to thank them sufficient.”
The precise reason for Guillain-Barré syndrome just isn’t identified, and there’s no identified remedy. Most sufferers make a full restoration, in keeping with the Mayo Clinic, however some severe instances will be deadly. It might probably progress quickly, making early detection vital.
Max can sit up on his personal, which medical doctors have mentioned provides him a very good baseline for restoration. His fingers are curled up, and he must relearn how one can 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 joyful about it,” Freeman mentioned. “That was shocking 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, principally to get unfastened after spending the earlier 4 nights sleeping on a hospital sofa. He hit off a tee once more Thursday.
The subsequent 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 project.
Freeman would not know the way he’ll deal with taking part in, 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 manner for restoration. He is at residence joyful. 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 crucial nice strikeouts I’ve ever had in my large league profession.” He got here again up within the third inning and lined a base hit to proper discipline, igniting a “Freddie!” chant from an introduced crowd of 48,178 individuals — 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, “in all probability texted a minimum of 4 instances throughout 9 days, actually checking in.”
“I am simply very grateful for the baseball neighborhood, lifting up Max in prayer and love and assist,” Freeman mentioned. “It’ll be a protracted journey for him, however it’s a good looking factor that he is on the trail to being recovered.”