Ride For Life: Soldier grandon returns from Iraq for surprise reunion

Janie Motta was running out of time.

The 71-year-old Agua Caliente woman was diagnosed five months ago with Lou Gehrig's disease and has since lost the use of her arms and legs and most of her voice.

Doctors told family members she was going fast.

So it was important for Motta to see her many children and grandchildren, especially her grandson, Nick Infante, an Army sergeant who until last week had been in Iraq.

Motta's wish came true Saturday with a surprise reunion at the home of her daughter, Cindy Harrah.

"Hey!" Motta said as Infante sneaked up on her, tears coming to her eyes. "I'm so happy. I missed you."

Infante, 26, put his arms around her shoulders, which were wrapped in a purple shawl, and kissed her head.

"I'm home," he said. "It was my last mission."

The ailing woman had been watching news accounts over the past few months, horrified by fighting that has killed about 600 U.S. troops since the war began in March 2003.

Family members worried that Infante, a sergeant stationed in Al Asad, could become a casualty. Several soldiers in his unit, which refuels military vehicles, had been injured or killed, Infante said.

But Motta knew her grandson would make it back.

The question was whether she would be alive to see it.

"I knew God would take care of him," she said.

The two share a special bond. Infante's parents are both deaf and his grandmother, a retired postal worker, helped raise him, cousins said.

After a quiet moment together, they joined other family members outside. Infante's Aunt Cindy had tied a yellow ribbon around the trunk of an oak the day he shipped out, and Infante cut it down.

"I'm excited and happy," said the 8-year veteran, who called himself a career soldier.

On March 25, Infante's unit returned to Fort Carson, Colo. after nearly a year in war-torn Iraq. His wife, Ruth, and two daughters live with him there.

He flew from Colorado to San Francisco on Saturday and drove north, picking up his parents, Blas and Judy, on the way.

Infante's cousin, Dawn Harrah of Sonoma, helped speed his visit by calling the . She said Infante's commanders wanted him to wait a month, but consented to a special four-day pass.

And it was none too soon. Motta's condition has been steadily worsening.

"The doctors said in February she had six months to a year to live," Harrah said. "Last week they announced she could be in the final stages."

Lou Gehrig's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a severe nerve disorder that affects about 30,000 people nationwide, according to the ALS Association Web site.

Patients in the later stages become paralyzed but remain mentally alert. The average life expectancy for a person diagnosed with the disease is 2 to 5 years, the association said.

The last time Infante saw Motta was about two years ago, before he moved to Colorado.

At the time, Motta was an active senior who loved camping with her cat.

But since she was diagnosed in November, she has become an invalid requiring constant care. She began in-home hospice treatment Friday, family members said.

"She has a very aggressive form," Harrah said.

Infante, in a support unit of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, said thoughts of getting home to his grandmother helped him through hardship in Iraq.

He found out through the about her illness shortly after she was diagnosed and has struggled to get to her since.

"You brought me back home in one piece," Infante told his grandmother. "All I wanted to do was get back to you."