Freddie Freeman had a lot of support in the stands on the Dodgers’ opening day this year!
On Saturday, March 29, the first baseman’s wife Chelsea shared a photo on Instagram of herself with all three of the pair’s sons getting ready to cheer on Freeman and the rest of the team. The family is still counting their blessings after their youngest son, Maximus, was diagnosed with a rare neurological condition last year.
“He’s been so resilient,” Chelsea told Us Weekly in an interview published March 4. “It’s been amazing to see. He’s still in [physical therapy] two times a week. It will be a full one-year recovery before he’s back to complete normal.”
The pair announced Max was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, an autoimmune disorder during which the body’s immune system attacks the nerves.
Chelsea added that the entire experience was understandably “terrifying.” She said, “It was very, very, very intense. It obviously taught us that health is everything. It was awful. He was fully paralyzed on a ventilator. Seeing him able to play outside, it’s really a miracle for how sick he was.”
Happily, Max, 4, is doing much better now — he even started playing baseball this year, something that is extra special for his family. “I wasn’t even sure a few months ago if he was going to be able to play baseball,” Chelsea admitted. “You don’t know exactly how the recovery is going to go.”
She and Freddie are also mom and dad to Charlie, 8, and Brandon, 4, who was born three months before Max via surrogacy. “It’s really cool,” Chelsea said of seeing her three boys on the diamond. “Freddie grew up playing Little League, so it’s definitely cool to see that Charlie is so into baseball. Brandon is a lefty like Freddie. And Max is very athletic, as well. It’s very special to see them follow in their father’s footsteps.”
The Dodgers were in the World Series as the family was still reeling from Max’s experience. “It’s an absolute roller-coaster of our emotions,” Chelsea said in a postgame interview on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. “We were at our ultimate low and then, to be here today is the ultimate high.” On top of Max’s diagnosis, Freddie had to recover from several injuries.
Chelsea continued, “I’m so proud of him [from] everything that we’ve gone through as a family this year and all of his injuries. He’s Superman actually, but we’re so happy.”