MLB First Baseman Freddie Freeman and his wife, Chelsea Goff, faced one of their toughest challenges as parents over the past year when their youngest, Maximus Turner Freeman, was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS).
Freddie Freeman and Chelsea Goff‘s 4-year-old son, Maximus Turner Freeman, got diagnosed with GBS following a frightening health scare last summer.
Max’s health crisis began in the summer of 2024 when he rapidly declined, losing mobility and eventually becoming paralyzed from the neck down.
Chelsea recalled the heartbreaking experience in an Instagram post on August 1, 2024, writing, “These have been the hardest and scariest days of our lives.”
Max was taken to the hospital in critical condition and stopped breathing when he arrived. Hence, he was immediately put on a ventilator to help him breathe because his lungs were very weak.
The head of the ER quickly suspected GBS, and later, it was confirmed through a lumbar puncture and a full-body MRI, which ruled out other potential causes like tumors or cancer.
Chelsea later described the moment to PEOPLE in an exclusive interview, saying:
It was the hardest eight days of our lives. Maximus went from being one of the most critical patients in the PICU to getting discharged eight days later. The first few days were so scary; we were just praying for a miracle.
PEOPLE
Since his discharge, Max has been on a road to recovery, relearning basic functions with the help of almost daily physical therapy.
In early March 2025, Chelsea disclosed details about Maximus’s health history and improvements in an interview with PEOPLE.
“Max had to relearn everything, starting from tummy time when we got home,” Chelsea disclosed. By mid-September 2024, Maximus retook his first steps.
Freeman’s Wife, Chelsea, Shared a Positive Update on Their Son’s Health: “He Is 80% Recovered After Today’s Assessment.”
Now, nearly nine months later, Chelsea has shared an encouraging update on Max’s recovery via her Instagram on March 27, 2025, following his nine-month neurologist check-up.
“He is 80% recovered after today’s assessment,” she wrote over a photo of Maximus at the doctor’s office.
She also noted that Max had surpassed his pre-GBS weight, writing:
He had reflexes in both his knees and feet for the first time. He is finally above his pre GBS weight. He is still working hard in PT to build strength back in his legs & his feet (dorsiflexon) to improve. I cannot express how thankful I am for these improvements.
“Life has slowly started to feel more normal. I realize how precious health is now. It is everything. If you are a special needs parent, I have no words for how incredible you are,” Chelsea added.
The Instagram story is already saved under Chelsea’s dedicated highlight titled “GBS Journey,” where she regularly shares updates about his health journey.
In addition to Maximus, born on February 14, 2021, Freddie and Chelsea share two sons. The couple first experienced parenthood with the arrival of their eldest son, Frederick “Charlie” Charles II Freeman, in 2016.
Maximus has a “twin with a twist” brother, Brandon, who was born via surrogacy on December 20, 2020.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- After dating for three years, MLB player Freddie Freeman married his longtime girlfriend, Chelsea, on November 23, 2024.
- Freeman signed a six-year contract worth $162 million with the Dodgers in 2022.
