Miracle girl', who had half of brain removed and nearly died after being shaken by father as a baby, enjoys life three years later

1. Cheyenne Rae, 3, shaken as an eight-month-old by father James Davis Jr
2. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison after admitting to the act
3. She had half of her brain taken out, suffered a fractured skull and bleeding
4. Doctors didn't think Cheyenne would survive, but she is now almost four
5. She talks and walks with a cast but is unable to move limbs on right side

• She is still experiencing medical problems from the shaking

A girl who had half her brain removed after being shaken as an eight-month-old is now approaching age four and enjoying the childhood she almost lost.

Cheyenne Rae, of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, suffered damage to her brain after her father James Davis Jr, then 28, shook the infant when she did not stop crying in 2012. 

The father, who was separated from Cheyenne's mother Amy Owensby and taking care of the girl, was later sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty.

Cheyenne had been expected to die after her skull was cracked and she suffered bleeding on the brain, but was released from the hospital after a month in what relatives called a miracle.

She has undergone a litany of surgeries since and still experiences medical problems, but is now able to walk, talk and play with her friends. 

Survivor: Cheyenne Rae, 3 (right), who had half of her brain removed after being shaken by her father as a baby (left), is now enjoying life three years after the near-fatal incident

New life: The survivor is now almost four years old and can talk and walk despite experiencing continued medical problems

Nearly fatal: Cheyenne suffered a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain but was able to leave the hospital after a month despite expectation that she would die

Owensby posted in a Facebook group for her daughter that she has dubbed August 17, the date of the shaking,  'Survivors Day'.

'I dropped my happy, healthy 8-month-old baby girl off with her dad for the night. An hour and a half later, I got the call that changed my life forever. My sweet baby wasn't breathing,' she posted in the group. 

Cheyenne was airlifted to Greenville Memorial Hospital as Davis confessed to shaking her.

'The man I was in love with, my first love, high school sweetheart, a guy I had known and shared a life with almost 10 years did this to OUR daughter. My whole world came crashing down,' Owensby said.

Continued struggles: Her mother Amy (right) said that her daughter still faces medical problems despite having made incredible progress after the shaking. Above left, she suffered swelling while being treated

The month after the incident saw Cheyenne's family happy that she was responsive to them and occasionally giggled.

She was on a feeding tube for at least a year, according to a report from SHJ.com 

Now, despite continued medical problems, the three-year-old is all smiles.

She underwent speech therapy but now 'talks great' and is able to walk using a cast, Prayers for Cheyenne said in early July. 

In May the group said that she was completely unable to walk because of balance issues. 

Her favorite thing to say is '‘I love you to the moon and back' and she likes to eat at Sonic's drive-thru.

Spunky: Cheyenne is described as a rambunctious three-year-old whose favorite phrase is '‘I love you to the moon and back'. However, she still struggles and has trouble seeing because of optic nerve damage

Surgery: Cheyenne's mother says that the girl will need to undergo two additional operations soon

However, she does not have a brain on the left side to control her right foot or move her right hand. 

'She literally struggles DAILY from what was done to her.. she can't hold a babydoll and her cup at once, she has to choose which she would rather hold at that moment bc one hand isn't working,' Owensby posted in May. like it's "suppose" to anyway. 

'We've had many breakdowns in the shoe aisle where we're both crying bc the shoes she wants, won't stay on her ballerina foot.'

She continued: 'Watching her look at something and have to hold it approximately 2" from her face bc her optic nerve damage from the blood behind her eyes when she was shaken.. watching her struggle so hard to do what the kids around her are doing, and my heart breaking a little more each time she can't.'

She will need to have two upcoming surgeries, her mother says. 

Her mother is also warning other parents about causing immeasurable harm to their children in moments of rage. 

'It only takes a few seconds to change things forever,' Owensby told WYFF4..

'A few seconds of frustration and anger to cause the unthinkable.'

Davis, a truck driver at the time of the incident, said that he has suffered with guilty after the 'split-second decision'. 

Pleaded guilty: Cheyenne's father James Davis Jr, now 31, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2013