From the time Ava Carlin was in her mother’s womb, the bones on one side of her head fused together. As a result, Ava had to undergo a surgery lasting over 9 hours to reconstruct her skull.

The rare birth defect Ava suffered from is called cranisynostosis – a condition where the cranial sutures fuse together prematurely in children, also known as craniosynostosis. This causes the cranial sutures to fuse together early, resulting in an abnormally shaped head. Doctors warned that this condition could negatively impact Ava’s brain development. Therefore, she was scheduled for surgery at just 18 months old to reshape her skull from the forehead to the back of her head.

During the 9-hour and 30-minute surgery, doctors broke Ava’s skull into many pieces, then reassembled these pieces to create a “new head” for her.

Now Ava has fully recovered. Three-year-old Jenna and Matthew Carlin’s parents were delighted to have their beloved daughter as a little bridesmaid at their wedding last April.

Returning to Ava’s story: In December 2015, when she was born, the Carlin couple immediately knew something was wrong.

Ava’s mother recounted, “After she was born, Ava’s head looked a little misshapen. The doctor told me it was just because of her position in the womb and that her head would soon be normal.”

Despite that reassurance, Ava couldn’t move her neck by six weeks old.

She was referred to a physical therapist. They said Ava might have a congenital defect where her cranial sutures were fused together. But that might not be the case. It’s possible that the way she was in the womb caused this condition.

Although medical experts once again dismissed Ava’s symptoms, her mother still believed something was wrong with her daughter. Clearly, when looking at her, she noticed one eye was round and the other oval. One side of her forehead was pulled inward, as if a lump was protruding from it.

Ava was then taken for tests, and the results confirmed that she did indeed have craniosynostosis. Doctors explained that without surgery, the abnormal shape of her skull would hinder proper brain development.

Ava underwent major surgery at Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool on June 12, 2017.

Children with craniosynostosis from age 6 onwards are usually prescribed craniotomy. Doctors make an incision in the scalp and skull. Then, they reconstruct the affected parts of the skull before fixing everything in place.

Despite the successful surgery, it took many years before Ava could look like a normal child.

“After the surgery, she didn’t look like we expected. There was a lot of swelling, and it took two years for everything to return to normal. That was also the time it took for her brain to grow in the new skull. Now, you can’t even tell that she had skull reconstruction surgery,” Ava’s mother shared.

Despite everything she’s been through, Ava is a cheerful three-year-old who always sees the humorous side of her illness.