Freddie Freeman, the All-Star first baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers, recently announced that his son Max is back home after spending eight days in the pediatric intensive care unit. Fans are naturally eager to know what happened to Max and how he is doing now.
Emotional Freddie Freeman describes his son's recovery from a terrifying illness
This is what we learned about Max's illness.
Doctors diagnosed three-year-old Max with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare neurological disorder in which an individual’s immune system attacks part of the peripheral nervous system. Symptoms include weakness, numbness, changes in sensation, and problems with digestion and/or bladder control. While there is no cure for the condition, there are highly effective treatments (through the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke).
The symptom in Max’s case was paralysis. According to an Instagram post shared by Freeman’s wife Chelsea on July 24, Max was limping when he woke up that morning. Just four days later, he was completely paralyzed. He was admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit so his lungs could be strengthened. On Wednesday, July 31, his breathing tube was removed and he was taken off the ventilator.
