Chelsea Freeman provided a hopeful update about her son Maximus, 4, who was diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder last year.
Max — who Chelsea shares with her husband, Los Angeles Dodgers star Freddie Freeman — was rushed to the hospital in July 2024 after he was unable to sit, stand or walk. Chelsea, 33, and Freddie, 35, eventually announced Max had been diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, an autoimmune disorder during which the body’s immune system attacks the nerves.
In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, Chelsea explained how Max has progressed in the months since his initial hospitalization.
“He’s been so resilient,” said Chelsea, who spoke to Us via her partnership with OFF! for Adults & Kids. “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.”
In reflecting back on the ordeal, an emotional Chelsea called it “the most terrifying thing I’ve ever been through.”
“It was very, very, very intense,” Chelsea said. “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.”
Max, who turned 4 in February, is doing far more than just playing outside. Chelsea said he’s already been taking swim lessons and she and Freddie recently signed him up to play Little League.
“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.”
Not only is Max taking after his Dad — who was named World Series MVP in October after the Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees in five games — he’s also picking up the bat in the same way that his two older brothers did before him.
Freddie Freeman and his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates winning the 2024 World Series came amid a challenging time for the Freeman family. “It’s an absolute roller-coaster of our emotions,” wife Chelsea Freeman said in a postgame interview on Wednesday, October 30. “We were at our ultimate low and then, to be here today is the ultimate […]
In addition to Max, Chelsea and Freddie also share sons Charlie, 8, and Brandon, 4, who was born three months before Max via surrogacy.
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“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.”
With baseball season around the corner — for both Freddie and the boys — Chelsea will use OFF! to help keep her family safe from mosquitos and other nuisances while they’re enjoying America’s Pastime.
“My kids actually love putting it on,” Chelsea said with a laugh. “With the start of baseball and the warmer weather come bugs and ticks … I love this product, obviously it’s safe to put on my children. They don’t fight me at all using it. It’s a prevention method that’s super important to me.”