In 2016, Los Angeles Dodgers star Freddie Freeman got a scare when a mole found in his body was suspected to contain cancerous cells. Freddie's mother Rosemary had passed when he was 10 due to melanoma skin cancer and the eight-time All-Star had expected such situations to occur.
Right after the All-Star break, Freeman got his mole removed. He missed the two games after the showcase for the Braves and was back in lineup by Friday of that week. As detailed reports and scans came back the doctors stated the Braves infielder had cancerous cells in the mole, the diagnosis was conducted before things got serious.
"Went and got it checked out, and they said with your family history just get it taken out, so I did. And it came back today that there were cancerous cells, so I got it just in time. It's kind of scary. It puts things in perspective, but we got it in time."
Freddie has inherited plenty of features from his mother, including his red hair. She was 47 years old when she fell sick for the second time in 2000. Freddie was in fifth grade. This was the second serious situation and ultimately a fatal one, after Rosemary was diagnosed with the disease six years prior.
Freeman had made light of the situation
Instead of being serious about the diagnosis, Freeman chose to laugh about it. He had stated while informing his father about the situation he jokingly thanked him for getting himself checked out for minor issues like a mole.
"I called my dad today and said, thanks, dad, I really appreciate you making me have to cut out (moles)."
The two games Freeman missed because of the mole were part of the only four he missed the entire regular season. He hit .302 and recorded 91 RBIs for Atlanta that season. He has maitained that form with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Freeman is a career .300 hitter and has earned himself a NL MVP, two World Series titles and a World Series MVP award.