The holidays won't be the same for the Impey family. Last year, two days after Christmas, they took their baby boy to the doctor for a routine cold and found themselves headed for B.C. Children's Hospital about a worrying ridge on his skull.
"His head was an odd shape but we didn't know that that meant anything," said Stevie Impey, Cohen's mother. "You're not going to assume that your baby isn't perfect."
It turned out the seven-week-old had craniosynostosis, a condition where the skull fuses too early, without the necessary soft spots to allow for brain growth.
"It was the worst case scenario for us with our brand new baby, first child, new parents, all of that," said the 28-year-old.
Doctors said Cohen had a very mild case and so surgery became the parent's choice
"We had like four days to decide if were going to put our son under the knife or not," Stevie said.
A one-hour surgery at nine-weeks-old would become eight-hours later in life, and there were other risks to consider.
"Not having the surgery could have caused developmental issues. He could have had problems with eyesight, his hearing."
And then there was the prospect of bullying he could face due
to the odd shape of his head, which she reluctantly described as alien-like.
"I was teased as a kid and I know the impact that it can make," she said. "It is very painful to have people tease you especially when you're young and don't understand."
So surgeons removed a chunk of skull: an inch by four-and-a-half inch piece.
But that wasn't the end of it; Cohen had to wear a special helmet for almost five months to help protect and reshape his head.
While family, friends and the community planned a fundraiser and helped with the Impey's travel costs, the helmet's $2,850 price tag was too much - and B.C. Medical didn't cover it. Even her husband Cole's extended medical didn't help.
That's when Variety stepped in.
Research by Stevie's grandmother discovered the support offered by the charity, which is having its 49th telethon from 7 p.m. today to 5:30 p.m. Sunday on Global B.C. to raise money for kids like Cohen.
All but $100 of the helmet was covered by Variety.
Stevie, who is on maternity leave from her job as a hairdresser, said she was surprised a piece of equipment seemingly necessary for Cohen's recovery wasn't covered.
"That was hard to swallow. I mean that's part of why we live in Canada, so we have the help when things like that happen. I think it's very unfortunate that they weren't able to help a baby."
The helmet slowed some of his physical development, like crawling but it was finally allowed to come off in July.
"His whole personality completely changed as soon as it came off. He was much happier," said Stevie of Cohen, now one-and-a-half. "The helmet was off for about three days and he sat up on his own, pulled himself on the edge of the couch, started crawling within two weeks."
Cohen hates having things on his head now, and likes to rub his head around his mom and dad's face - a welcome change from her past run-ins with the hockey-like helmet.
"I got a couple of broken noses, from him smashing into me with the helmet," said Stevie, who also has a dent on her forehead now. "It was quite a solid piece."
Cohen just had his check-up a year after surgery and is doing well, but there are still other ways the family needs to heal.
"I've just kind of placed myself in a bubble and dealt with him and I haven't really dealt with it yet emotionally myself," Stevie said. "I was just trying to get through the day for the last year. I've just started to realize what all we've been through."
The Variety Show of Hearts Telethon runs from 7 p.m. Saturday to 5:30 p.m. Sunday on Global BC to raise money for kids like Cohen Impey.
The telethon will feature Paul McCartney, Lady Antebellum, James Taylor, Sheryl Crow and Elton John and those interested in donating can visit variety.bc.ca for more information.
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