How Britney Spears' 'Toxic' helped a girl recover from brain surgey

Anyone who even remotely followed music in the early 2000s would instantly identify Britney Spears hit song Toxic. The foot-tapping number was one of the biggest draws on the dance floor and almost every youngster could mouth the lyrics from memory. [caption id=“attachment_2377102” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Britney Spears in Toxic. Screengrab from YouTube[/caption] But for a teenage girl from Alabama, Britney Spears’ 2003 hit single is more than a song, it is the catalyst that helped her recover from a brain aneurysm and stroke. As part of the #justkeepdancing challenge, 13-year old Maegan Johnson posted her account on Facebook about how she suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm at 7, along with a video of her dancing to the song that helped her recover. The #justkeepdancing challenge was started by popular TV personality  Ellen Degeneres to help those from pediatric cancer.

#justkeepdancing Ellen please read this. I am 13 years old from Phenix City, Alabama. When I was 7 I had a ruptured… Posted by Maegan Johnson on  Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Johnson also suffered a stroke during a procedure, and after a 10-hour brain surgery, she was unable to speak for six weeks and her parents were told “not to expect a good outcome.” “I had to communicate on a dry erase board and became very depressed. One day someone played one of my (CDs). The first song did nothing, but the next song was Toxic by Britney Spears-I smiled, tried moving my hips and lifting my arm waving it back and forth in the air trying to dance. That song was incorporated in ALL Therapy Sessions,” she writes on Facebook. The 13-year old’s Facebook post that has already garnered 11,378 likes and 5,602 shares at the time if writing this and has actually managed to reach Spears, fulfilling Johnson’s wish if communicating with the pop star to thank her. Spears shared Johnson’s video on her official Facebook page saying, “Thank you for sharing your incredible story, Maegan! I’m so inspired by you and I’m touched my music helped you get through such a difficult time. ‪#‎JustKeepDancing‬, sweetie!! You are AMAZING! "

Thank you for sharing your incredible story, Maegan! I’m so inspired by you and I’m touched my music helped you get through such a difficult time. #JustKeepDancing, sweetie!! You are AMAZING! ❤❤❤ Posted by Britney Spears on  Friday, July 31, 2015

Johnson is ecstatic with Spears’ response and even posted a screenshot saying, ‘Britney noticed it!’ With a story so wonderful, who wouldn’t! (With agency inputs)