👏 Freddie Freeman standing ovation in return to Dodgers after son hospitalized with rare disorder

Via SportsnetLA

🙏 Freddie Freeman gets a full minute standing ovation in return against the Phillies

Nick Castellanos took his hat off out of respect for the Dodgers star who gets a emotional taking it in

Emotional Dodgers star Freddie Freeman crying talking about son’s rare medical condition

@JeffSkverskyYouTube

Freddie Freeman press conference interview as he talks about his son Maximus, his rare medical condition

“It's a good thing I'm here because it means things are trending better.... No one should have to go through this, especially a 3-year-old. I don’t know how many times Chelsea and I said we wish we could switch.”

Freddie Freeman, understandably emotional, speaks about the recovery of his son, Maximus.

**Freddie Freeman Returns to Dodgers After Son's Health Scare**

Freddie Freeman made an emotional return to the Los Angeles Dodgers' lineup on Monday night after missing eight games to be with his ailing 3-year-old son, Maximus, who is now out of danger after a serious medical diagnosis. Freeman shared the good news, saying, "I'm back, so that means good things are happening at the Freeman home."

Maximus was initially misdiagnosed before doctors determined he had Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare neurological disorder where the immune system attacks the peripheral nervous system, causing nerve damage and muscle weakness. Freeman and his wife, Chelsea, were devastated by the diagnosis, having never heard of the syndrome before.

Freeman described the heart-wrenching experience of seeing his son on a ventilator. "Seeing one of your kids on a ventilator fighting, it was hard," Freeman said, his voice choking. "That's the heartbreaking thing. No one deserves to go through something like this. I know you parents understand that. You'd switch in a second to take that pain, that suffering away from your kid in a heartbeat. When you feel hopeless, like Chelsea and I did, that's hard."

During his emotional press conference, Freeman often had to wipe his eyes and nose with a towel. He credited his ability to speak about the ordeal to the recent improvements in Maximus' condition. "If you talked to me six days ago, I would never have been able to speak," Freeman said. "The reason I'm able to get through this is because of the huge wins we've been getting the last few days with him. It's been a miraculous recovery, that's what they say to us."

Maximus first became ill during the All-Star break in July when the family traveled to Texas for the game. Four days later, Maximus couldn't sit up or walk and eventually stopped eating and drinking. The symptoms worsened, leading to difficulty breathing, and he was rushed to the hospital and placed on a ventilator. He received two rounds of intravenous immunoglobulin, which helped restore his immune system.

Freeman and Chelsea remained by Maximus' side in the pediatric intensive care unit, anxiously watching for any sign of improvement. "He started to shoulder shrug, which was a massive sign for us," Freeman said. "It means we were closer to potentially getting the ventilator out." The doctors were encouraged by how quickly Maximus' paralysis receded.

The ventilator was removed at 10:46, a moment Freeman said he will never forget. "Within six minutes he was sitting on me. I can't tell you how good that felt, to be able to hold my son again," Freeman shared.

Freeman's teammates and Dodgers staff showed their support by wearing blue #MaxStrong T-shirts with his last name and jersey number 5 on the back. The gesture brought Freeman to tears. "That was the first time I cried today, when I walked in and saw those," he said. "It means a lot."

Maximus is now home and undergoing physical therapy to relearn how to walk and move his fingers. Freeman reported that his son is smiling again and was eager to watch his dad play against the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday. The family is optimistic about Maximus' recovery. "We've been told that he's going to make a full recovery," Freeman said. "We just don't know how long that will be."

The overwhelming support from Freeman's baseball family, including current teammates, his former team the Atlanta Braves, and Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo, provided much-needed hope. "The support and the love that have been shown to us, it gave us hope," Freeman said. "It was needed, it really was."

#Dodgers #FreddieFreeman #MaxStrong #GuillainBarreSyndrome #MLB #BaseballFamily #DodgersNation #FreemanFamily #Inspiration #Phillies #la

[letticiamariscal]

Thank God his little boy will be ok. 🙏❤️🙏❤️🙏❤️

[jojobp]

Freeman, he acted like Shohei when he had bowed a little! Bless him and pray for his son and whole family in good healthy!

[franklobo]

GOD BLESS the Freeman father and a big thanks to the Philadelphia Phillies for taking part in this ovation.

[RealRyanAskew]

I despise the dodgers but some things are bigger than baseball. Freddie Freeman is a great father and a great man and this is going to be one of my favorite deserved standing ovations in baseball for a long time. Good on the ump letting him have all the time he needed. And props to those in the stands who gave this man a standing ovation. This dbacks fan tips his cap to all of you. #maxstrong

[mollyhatchet]

perhaps the most likeable ball player out there . hoping your son will get better ...

[mojo_sports]

Praying for this man and his family. Dodger fans are amazing

[robertaBooey]

Little did you know he would become a World Series legend 😂

[pauldeveaux]

Baseball can be such a beautiful sport. #Maxstrong

[robell]

Great response from the Dodger fans! Not sure I would be able to swing the bat after that!

[kendallevans]

What does his kid have to do with baseball? Nothing!