Justin Bieber has been receiving a lot of negative attention in the press recently, but this story may make you look at the 20-year-old singer in a different light.

In a new piece on NYMag.com, entitled 'How Justin Bieber Saved This Kid,' author Kera Bolonik recalls the difficulty of dealing with her young son's "mystery illness," one that left him suffering from seizures, projectile vomiting and refusing to eat. However, it was only when they played Bieber's hit 'Baby' (or 'Bee-bee-bay-bee,' as little Theo called it) could he eat -- and therefore gain nutrients.

"The song came to be Theo’s life raft," Bolonik writes, "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."

Still, it was a tough road for little Theo, who was still forced to deal with his serious health problems as doctors couldn't figure out a diagnosis yet. One night, Bolonik recalls, when Theo refused to have an IV put in his arm, the clever staff found a way to cheer him up:

"Suddenly, the doctor started singing the Bieber song, and soon the nurses joined in," she writes. "Theo stopped crying, his long eyelashes blinking through tears to watch the group of women harmonize in an attempt to soothe him."

Fortunately for Theo and his family, doctors were eventually able to figure out his illness, and he is doing much better today. But his mom will never forget how Justin Bieber unknowingly helped to save her son's life -- and neither will the 'Baby' singer himself.

Touched by the story, Bieber shared it on Facebook, simply captioning it: "Music Heals."

See Justin Bieber's Most Adorable Baby + Childhood Pictures

More From 92 Moose