Los Angeles Dodgers star Freddie Freeman’s son Maximus, who is battling rare nerve condition Guillain-Barré syndrome, is making “progress” healthwise, according to an emotional update from his mom.
Posting to Instagram on Friday, August 16, Chelsea Freeman shared a carousel of family photos featuring the 3-year-old smiling and making funny faces for the camera, while detailing how he is coming along following a frightening trip to the emergency room late last month.
“We have had great follow up appointments with our pediatrician and neurologists this week,” she wrote in the caption. “People say GBS stands for ‘Getting Better Slowly.’”
She continued: “We have seen a lot of progress in the last week and a half. Max is mostly sleeping through the night again. He is sitting unassisted and even started army crawling the last few days. Our life consists of doctor appointments, physical therapy, and lots of pool time ☀️. We are so happy with how well Max has been progressing.”
“We are forever grateful to the Dodgers organization and the fans for how incredible they have been to us. We have also been blown away by everyone’s messages, cards, gifts, flowers, sweets, and prayers sent our way,” she added.
In addition to the shots of Maximus posing with her and his brothers, Chelsea also shared pictures of Dodgers-related gifts, including decorated cookies, custom sneakers and baseball bats, all emblazoned with the hashtag #MaxStrong. A final snap shows dad Freddie on the field in uniform, sporting a Dodgers blue #MaxStrong T-shirt over his customary gear.
On August 1, the Freemans revealed their son’s condition after the boy’s health scare, where they said he “rapidly declined and went into full body paralysis,” necessitating eight days in the pediatric ICU.
“These have been the hardest and scariest days of our lives,” the couple related. “Maximus is such a special boy and he has been fighting SO hard. This is going to be a journey to recover, but we have faith that he will be completely healed.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, Guillain-Barré syndrome is “a condition in which the body’s immune system attacks the nerves. It can cause weakness, numbness or paralysis.” Though an exact cause for the condition is not known, Cedars-Sinai says most children “recover fully with no complications.”
In addition to Maximus, the Freemans share sons Charlie, 7, and Brandon, 3, who was born three months before Maximus via surrogacy.
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