Little fighters to light up Christmas celebrations
Hassan and Hussein Benhaffaf, who are just days away from their first birthday, will officially switch on Cork city’s Christmas lights on Friday evening.
They will be the guests of honour, along with their parents, Angie and Azzedine, and their sisters, Iman and Malika, as the Lord Mayor Cllr Michael O’Connell also launches the city’s hugely successful Christmas markets initiative on the Grand Parade.
The ceremonies will take place on the Nano Nagle Bridge boardwalk, just off the Grand Parade, at 5pm.
Angie and Azzedine are still tied to a contract with a British TV company which is following the twins’ progress since the successful operation to separate them earlier this year.
But a source close to the family said they are all really looking forward to Friday.
“Last Christmas went by in a blur,” the family friend said.
“It was heartbreaking for all of them. But Hassan and Hussein have brought so much light to people, this event, lighting up the city’s Christmas lights, will help them bring a difficult year to a perfect end.”
Hassan and Hussein were born joined at the chest at University College Hospital in London on December 2 last. Despite the high-risk birth, and being born six weeks premature, the boys defied all the medical experts and thrived.
Dubbed the “little fighters”, they underwent a complex operation at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital last April.
And again, they defied the medical experts and returned home to Cork within just six weeks.
The family was accorded a civic reception in June and they won a special merit award for bravery at the Maternity and Infant Awards in Dublin earlier this month.
The award highlights will be broadcast on TV3 next Monday at 3.35pm.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
