As Dodgers’ star Freddie Freeman stepped away in mid-season last year, his absence didn’t go unnoticed. Behind the scenes, he and his wife, Chelsea, were battling a terrifying situation. Their 3-year-old toddler, Maximus, had fallen severely ill. In July 2024, Maximus was diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder—Guillain-Barré syndrome. With this syndrome, the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the peripheral nervous system. Worry weighed heavily on both Freddie and Chelsea.

The little one experienced paralysis that quickly went up to his shoulders. He was then taken to the emergency room at Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC). Max was placed in the pediatric intensive care unit. It was severe; he was put on a ventilator as well and had to be fed through tubes.

Nonetheless, he was able to fight back and showed promising signs of recovery within a couple of days. Max was taken off the ventilator later, and he returned home after weeks of treatment.

All along his journey, CHOC played a significant role. According to ESPN columnist, Freeman and his wife, Chelsea, have now donated $1,000,000 to the hospital. It’s a token of tribute to the doctors, nurses, and care teams. It’s just Freeman’s way of giving back to the community that helped Max.

In an interview with ESPN previously, Freeman, full of gratitude, shared his experience with CHOC. He stated, “Seeing every room full in the PICU each and every day impacted Chelsea and I deeply. Getting to know the doctors, nurses, and care teams and seeing how they show up each day to bring healing and hope to kids and their families was inspiring. CHOC saved Maximus’ life.”

In March, his wife Chelsea also addressed the recovery progress of her now 4-year-old. She stated back then, “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.”

Last year, even the Dodgers supported Freeman wholeheartedly as he missed a significant amount of time off the field. When Max started showing signs of recovery and Freeman returned, he was greeted by the fans and the teammates who donned the official warm-up gear that read #MaxStrong. Isn’t that heartwarming?

Speaking of heartwarming moments, Freeman’s wife recently had a heartwarming moment at the CHOC Foundation Gala.

Chelsea Freeman’s Emotional Tribute at CHOC Gala

Both Freddie and Chelsea Freeman faced every parent’s worst nightmare. Their hearts sank as their tiny one went through something this severe at such a young age. But all is well now and just days ago, Chelsea attended the CHOC Foundation Gala.

She gracefully represented her family as Freeman couldn’t attend the event due to a Dodger game. The couple was grateful to serve as the honorary chairs of the gala and donated $1 million on behalf of Max’s recovery.

‘Champions for children’ was the theme of the evening. It perfectly aligned with Freeman and his journey. The gala honored the Dodgers’ World Series win as well. It got even more beautiful when the spotlight was put on the real-life heroes—the doctor’s team, medical staff, and nurses who happen to save the lives of children like Max.

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Chelsea got the chance to hug and interact with each and every other person who saved her son’s life and it was super emotional for her.

Overall, the CHOC gala was able to raise a stunning $7.4 million for the cause of maintaining the hospital’s efforts in offering life-saving care to the kids. The Freemans would wish their donation assists other families like theirs that went through anything like this.