‘Little fighters’ battle through tough days

IRISH twins Hassan and Hussein Benhaffaf, who were separated in a 14-hour operation a fortnight ago, are stable and making progress every day, doctors in London said last night.

The boys, nicknamed the ‘little fighters’, remain in intensive care at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) where the complex surgery was successfully performed on March 7.

Their mother, Angie, who lives in east Cork, said the boys have had some tough days in the last two weeks but that the support from the public has kept her family going.

“The past two weeks have been extremely tough for our ‘little fighters’ and for me, Az [Azzedine, her husband] and the girls [Iman and Malika],” Angie said.

“Even though the sun has shone since their separation, we’ve also had dark clouds that hovered over their little cots in intensive care and brought difficult days for them both.

“Both Hassan and Hussein have been through so much. We know there is still a long journey ahead. As parents we sometimes feel helpless and we watch anxiously what our precious twins are going through everyday.

“The one thing that is helping us to get through each new day is the support we are still getting from the public and the bundles of post that come twice a day for the boys at GOSH.

“Thanks to each of you who continue to keep the boys in your thoughts and prayers. Also, a big thank you to the media for once again allowing us to have this precious time with our ‘little fighters’.”

She made her comments as GOSH issued an update on the twins yesterday.

The boys, who were born joined at the chest on December 2 last, were separated by a medical team led by Irish-born surgeon Mr Edward Kiely at GOSH two weeks ago.

“The two boys remain in intensive care,” a spokesperson for GOSH said last night. “They are stable and making progress daily. The surgical team had always anticipated a substantial period of recovery from this major surgery. They are broadly where the medical team expected them to be at this point.”

The hospital said it cannot say when an update or further condition check will be available.

The Benhaffaf family has relocated to accommodation near the hospital while the boys recover from surgery.

They could be in hospital for several months.

The family has also signed an exclusive deal with ITV, which has been filming a fly-on-the-wall style documentary over the last three months. It is due to be screened in mid-May.