Daniel Haber doesn’t need a wake-up call anymore to remind him about something he referred to as “good fortune.”

Ask him to shave his head, or talk about life as a 12-year old, and then watch his response.

Eight years ago, the Toronto-born Haber was dealing with a golf-size lump on his forehead that was also dangerously close to his brain. It created enough anxiety and worries that doctors strongly recommended to his family to deal with the problem – and quickly.

Just five days after his birthday, he went through extensive surgery at the Hospital for Sick Children that not only removed the cyst and some of his skull, but titanium plates and staples were used to patch him up.

Haber talked about his scar the other day, the one that runs from ear to ear across the top of his head but is only noticeable with one of those buzz cuts that seem to be popular with some teens at the barbershop.

“It’s a scary thought, but if they didn’t move quickly I am convinced there could have been brain damage,”