text: A five-year-old girl had to have her skull removed, smashed into pieces and put back together like a jigsaw puzzle after doctors discovered it was too small for her growing brain. Her mother Stacey Ciach, from Geelong in Victoria, had always wondered about the slightly narrow shape of daughter Ava's head. But it wasn't until she took Ava to a new doctor for a check-up that it was discovered two plates at the front of her skull had fused together prematurely - a rare condition known as Sagittal Synostosis - restricting the growth of her brain. Scroll down for video . Five-year-old Ava Ciach, from Geelong in Victoria, suffered from Sagittal Synostosis - meaning the two plates at the front of her skull had fused together prematurely restricting the growth of her brain . Ava, now six, had to undergo complex surgery in which she had her skull removed, smashed into pieces and put back together like a jigsaw puzzle . 'It was just a miracle that this particular doctor thought "I've got a few concerns about her head circumference",' Ms Ciach told Daily Mail Australia. 'She wasn't abnormal, you wouldn't look at her on street and think there's something wrong with her. 'But he was really thorough and said he was going to do a full once over.' A CT scan proved Ava had the condition – usually discovered when a child is between 10 months and two years old – meaning she had to undergo a raft of medical examinations. 'From the moment it was confirmed it was just test upon test upon test,' Ms Ciach said. 'The waiting was just the worst – is this result going to be good or bad? Most were not positive but that's just what we had to deal with.' Ava's skull post surgery after it was 'smashed' and put back together again . In September last year Ava underwent the operation, which involved making an incision from ear to ear and removing her whole skull . Ava was then taken to a combined clinic at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne with reconstructive plastic surgeon Jonathan Burge and 14 other neurosurgeons and other specialists to decide the course of action. They booked her in for surgery four days later. 'They just said "She needs this surgery now",' Ms Ciach said. In September last year Ava underwent the operation, which involved making an incision from ear to ear and removing her whole skull. 'It pretty much shattered, it was like a big puzzle,' Ms Ciach said. 'They removed her whole skull and just rebuilt it from a mixture of screws, plates and fragments of her own bone.' The complex operation took nine hours, and Ava was in a lot of pain in the days that followed. 'She had tubes coming out her neck and had a huge amount of morphine, she was just out of it for days,' Ms Ciach said. Ava is pictured, six months after surgery, with her reconstructive plastic surgeon Dr Jonathan Bruge . 'It was horrible - you never want anyone else to go through it and see their child like that. 'It was difficult to watch but we knew she was in the best care. 'Jonathan Burge does great work at the Royal Children's Hospital; it's just an amazing, incredible place.' Ava was released from hospital and Ms Ciach said she was amazed by her daughter's resilience. 'The recovery was pretty bad pain wise, her skull and skin were healing and it was pretty bad but she just dealt with it,' she said. 'She's such a strong, tough girl and she took it in her stride.' Seven months after her surgery Ava, now six, is 'a completely different child'. Seven months after her surgery Ava, now six, has started school and is 'a completely different child' 'Now she's just got more energy, she's full of life and full of spark and so chatty,' Ms Ciach said. 'She would get quite tired but all my kids have been good sleepers, we just thought that must be her. 'She's not the fatigued child she once was.' Ava, who loves dancing and is obsessed with cooking shows on TV, has also started her first year at school. 'She loves academic stuff and creative things so it's good,' Ms Ciach said. 'She's loving learning and just loving life which is all we could really want for her.' The Royal Children's Hospital's Good Friday Appeal is on tomorrow, April 3. For more information or to donate visit the official website .
target: Five-year-old Ava Ciach, from Geelong in Victoria, had Sagittal Synostosis .
  She had to have her skull removed, smashed  and put together like a jigsaw .
  Her mother Stacey is speaking out about the complex operation to raise awareness for the Royal Children's Hospital's Good Friday Appeal .