Cerebral Palsy Can't Stop Cheyenne

Dec. 26, 2008 — -- Emotional airport reunions for returning soldiers are not uncommon, but when Syndey Leslie saw her 4-year-old daughter, Cheyenne, running to greet her Tuesday she was floored. She had never seen her little girl run, or even walk, without assistance before.

Since birth, Cheyenne was born with cerebral palsy. In September 2007, Leslie was sent to Iraq and Afghanistan with the Army. At the time, Cheyenne could not get around without the aide of a walker or furniture for support.

"It's breathtaking," Leslie told "Good Morning America." "I haven't seen her in so long. Going through everything, it's amazing. She was walking with assistance, she was falling everywhere, and now she is doing it on her own. It's amazing."

While her mother was away, Cheyenne stayed with her grandmother, Dominga Leslie, who watched the girl's progress in awe.

"I see her around the house. She'd be standing next to a chair and she lifts one leg up and stands on the other and says 'Grandma, look, look, I can balance myself,'" Dominga Leslie said. "She's just a happy child -- loves to play like all 4-year-olds. It's been a little bit of a struggle, a little bit of a challenge for her not being able to walk and seeing other kids playing and running around."

Her grandmother said Cheyenne had the walker to assist her but never liked to use it. That tenacity, coupled with intensive therapy at Therapies 4 Kids in Lauderdale by the Sea, Fla., allowed Cheyenne to learn to walk, run and jump all by herself.

Sheryl Spencer, Cheyenne's therapist, said the transformation was nothing short of amazing.

"We knew she was going to make progress and see improvement, but to see her running after working for a year, it's an amazing accomplishment. It's above and beyond," Spencer said.

But while she got better at walking, Cheyenne yearned for her mother who was halfway around the world.

"She is like, 'Oh I miss my mommy so much. I want my mommy to come home," Cheyenne's grandmother said. "There are times when we are standing outside and see an airplane and she would say, 'Airplane, please bring my mommy home, please.'"