Justin Bieber's 'Baby' helped to save a toddler’s life

In a moving essay published by New York magazine, writer Kera Bolonik shared the story of how a pop anthem by Justin Bieber came in handy when her two-year-old son, Theo, was ill.

The little boy had been suffering from seizures and was put on a medication that made him so nauseous that his parents weren't able to get him to eat enough to stay nourished. The solution? Bieber.

"We were especially frustrated because when his caretaker, Erin, arrived at 9 a.m., she could get him to eat scrambled eggs with cheese, yogurt, cereal—a meal fit for a kid twice his age and size. Why? And why was he suddenly chanting 'Bee-bee, bay-bee' every five minutes?" Bolonik wrote. "We eventually discovered she’d bribe him by playing a music video on our iPad: Justin Bieber’s 'Baby.' The song came to be Theo’s life raft, as well as our measuring stick for how long it would take to feed him. 

"I’d sworn that Bieber would never be allowed in our household, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and the track was playing so frequently it became like white noise: Theo would demand the video repeatedly until his meal — or any task we needed him to endure — was done. It was an easy request to oblige.

"Theo's condition raged on and he was admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit in September 2013. When doctor's still couldn't figure out what was causing the seizures, they put him through a gruelling series of tests to properly diagnose and treat him. Again, Justin's hit song came in to play."

Eventually, doctors were able to identify little Theo's illness, and he recovered from Bieber fever. Now the toddler has a new favourite song: Pharrell's "Happy." "It's been more than six months since Theo has requested 'Beebee Baby,'" Bolonik said.

At this time, neither Bieber nor Pharrell have reacted to Bolonik's moving story.

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