'Dancing With the Stars' Pros Meet with Girl Battling Cerebral Palsy
Ina Ries/Shriners Hospitals for Children - Honolulu
Four " Dancing With the Stars" pros made a girl's dream come true when they dropped by for a surprise visit before a performance in Honolulu.
Currently on tour with their show, "Ballroom with a Twist," professional dancers Val Chmerkovskiy, his brother Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Karina Smirnoff and Sharna Burgess met 14-year-old Sophia Robinson backstage before the start of the show Thursday.
Robinson, who is battling cerebral palsy and diabetes, gets around in a wheelchair but her favorite show is "Dancing With the Stars."
According to ABC affiliate KITV, Robinson's mother, Ina Ries, arranged the meeting by writing to the show's producers about her daughter's health challenges.
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A spokeswoman for Honolulu's Shriners Hospitals for Children, where Robinson is a patient, told ABC News that the teenager began having seizures last December and that her mother "nearly lost her."
Last week's visit with the "DWTS" pros was certainly a welcome surprise for the teen, especially meeting her favorite dancer, Val Chmerkovskiy.
Ina Ries/Shriners Hospitals for Children - Honolulu
The dancers will soon return to the ballroom for the start of season 19 of "Dancing With the Stars," which premieres Monday, Sept. 15 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
They'll be joined by former dance pro and new judge Julianne Hough.
The celebrity cast of season 19 will be announced on "Good Morning America" on Sept. 4 at 7 a.m. ET.