Wilmington, NC - WECT - Marlie Karns is just like any other nine-year-old girl. She has painted toe nails, a bed full of stuffed animals, and absolutely loves Justin Bieber.
"She will always chose Justin Bieber, she makes decisions with her eye gaze," said mom, Andrea Karns.
Marlie's life hasn't been easy. She was born nine weeks early, and when she was a year old she was the 19th person in the world to be diagnosed with aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase deficiency. While the terminal disorder can send Marlie into seizure-like fits and gives her no control over her body, she still has the same brain function as any other nine-year-old kid.
"She's funny, she has a great sense of humor, she's just like any other nine-year-old, but she's stuck," said Karns.
The disorder confines Marlie to her bed or wheelchair, and she spends most of her time in her bedroom watching, listening, and learning about Justin Bieber.
"Marlie can't go to the park, she can't play outside, she can't play with her brother and sister, she can't have the experiences of other kids, but this is her one joy," said Karns.
Karns says Justin Bieber always puts a smile on her daughter's face, and even has the ability to improve her condition, helping her breath the other night when she was struggling.
"She was slowly getting worse," said Karns. "I thought I was losing her - so I tried the one thing that always helps - and that's Justin Bieber and instantly she got all excited and bubbling and squealing."
The family is going to go see him in about a week, and Karns is doing everything in her power to try to find a way for Marlie to meet him, reaching out to everyone she knows.
"Just knowing how much she would love this, this would be her one experience," said Karns. "Her dream come true."
They started a facebook page to reach out to people, and in five days there are already more than 1,000 likes.
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Wilmington girl with rare disease has big wish
