Freddie Freeman’s 3-year-old son is battling Guillain-Barré syndrome

Major League Baseball

Updated Aug. 2, 2024 9:54 a.m. ET

Freddie Freeman‘s 3-year-old son, Maximus, is battling Guillain-Barré syndrome, the Los Angeles Dodgers star and his wife, Chelsea, announced.

“Last Friday, Max rapidly declined and went into full body paralysis,” Freeman and his wife wrote in a shared statement on social media. “We are very fortunate to have gotten him to the hospital in time so they could reinforce his lungs. Freddie was in Houston at the time and rushed to the first flight back home. After many tests, Max is battling a severe case of Guillain-Barré syndrome. A rare neurological condition that is especially rare in children.

“These have been the hardest and scariest days of our lives. Maximus is such a special boy and he has been fighting SO hard.”

Guillain-Barré syndrome is a disease where the body’s immune system attacks the nerves, causing weakness, numbness and paralysis, according to the Mayo Clinic. The rare disease can be spotted by tingling in the limbs before turning into paralysis. The cause of the disease isn’t known and there isn’t a known cure. However, there are numerous treatment options for the disease and most people who’ve been diagnosed with the disease completely recover, though more serious versions of the illness can be fatal.

Maximus had been dealing with transient synovitis, temporary inflation of the hip joint, and a viral infection when the family attended the MLB All-Star Game in July, Chelsea Freeman shared on social media last week.

After a few scary days, the Freemans are hopeful that their son will make a full recovery, noting that he’s already made some improvements.

“This is going to be a journey to recover, but we have faith that he will be completely healed,” the Freemans wrote. “We have been blown away by his improvements in the last 48 hours. Maximus was excavated from his breathing tube and taken off of the ventilator yesterday, which is a huge win for us. We believe in the power of prayer and we have been witnessing a miracle in his recovery. Please continue to cover Maximus and our family in your prayers. We really appreciate and have felt all of your support.”

Freeman was placed on the family emergency list Saturday and has been out of the Dodgers’ lineup since then. It isn’t clear when he’ll make his return.

Freeman is in the midst of another standout season, earning his eighth All-Star nod. He’s hitting .288 with a .888 OPS to go with 16 homers and 67 RBIs. Los Angeles has lost four of its last five games, causing its lead in the NL West to shrink to 4.5 games, as Cavan Biggio and Kiké Hernández have filled in at first base for Freeman.

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Major League Baseball

Los Angeles Dodgers

Freddie Freeman

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