Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman made his return to the team on Monday afternoon following a two-week stretch in which his 3-year old son, Maximus, was battling a rare neurological disorder, in an emotional day that new T-shirts adorning every locker, colored Dodger blue with Freeman’s name and number on the back and with the phrase #MaxStrong on the front.
Players and coaches would wear the shirts during pregame workouts to show their support for Freeman and his youngest child.
Freeman’s son Max was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, which is a condition in which the body’s immune system attacks its nerves, causing weakness, numbness and, in Max’s case, paralysis. The exact cause of Guillain-Barré syndrome is not known, and there is no known cure, but most patients make a full recovery, according to the Mayo Clinic who noted that some serious cases can be fatal.
“That’s the first time I cried today,” Freeman said, according to ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez. “It means a lot.”
Freeman was showed love by his team as well as the Philadelphia Phillies.
“I was doing OK tipping my hat and then my dad was sitting first row with my stepmom, and he was – I don’t know if I could call it crying, but he was choked up and teary-eyed,” Freeman said. “That’s what really got me going.”
Max, who spent 8 days in pediatric intensive care before being officially discharged on Saturday, began his physical therapy on Sunday. While Max’s personality has returned, Freemans said – “but he’s got to learn how to do pretty much everything.”
“He didn’t deserve this,” Freeman said. “No one deserves this, anybody who goes through this. It’s not just my family. We were going every night, and every room is filled in the [pediatric ICU]. And that is heartbreaking. So many families are going through things like this. We’re one of the lucky ones that got Guillain-Barré that he might have a full recovery. There are kids out there who are fighting for their lives right now. It just puts everything in perspective.
“I know Dodger fans don’t like this, but I would gladly strike 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 that again. But he’s on his way. He’s on his way. It’s going to be a long road.”
“I think a lot of us are parents in here,” Freeman said, adding – “To see one of your kids on a ventilator fighting … it was hard.”
“I can’t tell you how good that felt, to be able to hold my son again,” Freeman said. “That was a special time, just knowing how hard he fought in those five days. You know, when he was born, we were trying to figure out a name; we had to name two kids at that time. Chelsea came upon Maximus. I’m like, ‘That’s a strong name.’ I didn’t know he was going to prove me true within four years of his life.”
“I’m here nine days after, and it feels like a miracle,” Freeman said. “It really does. So, I can’t thank them enough.”
“I’m here because things are better at home,” Freeman said. “He is on his way for recovery. He’s at home happy. I said, ‘Are you excited to watch Daddy on TV tonight?’ He said, ‘Yes.'”
Freeman received support from Phillies’ first baseman Bryce Harper, who hugged him when he reached first base.
“I’m just very thankful for the baseball community, lifting up Max in prayer and love and support,” Freeman said. “It’s going to be a long journey for him, but it’s a beautiful thing that he’s on the path to being recovered.”
