Mother dreams of miracle twins walking hand-in-hand

THE mother of Cork miracle twins, Hassan and Hussein Benhaffaf, has said her biggest dream is to see her toddlers walk hand-in-hand as they prepare for their prosthetic legs this year.

Angie Benhaffaf said her babies still revert back to their conjoined positions every night when they sleep together in their cot.

The babies, who celebrated their first birthday on December 2, are to have their first prosthetic limbs fitted this year.

“It will be a tough challenge for them but they are very strong. My dream is for them to walk together hand in hand.

“When they were in the womb they held hands and they’ve held hands throughout the journey.”

The twins were born in University College Hospital in London.

The 36-year-old mum-of-four said in Reveal magazine this week: “At that time I felt so helpless. I didn’t dare to think they would reach the milestone (of their first birthday).”

She told how she brought her babies to the beach before their operation.

“I took them to the beach so they could smell the sea air and I promised them that if they survived I would bring them back on their first birthday. It had a special meaning for me to bring them back to the seaside.”

At four months, the boys underwent a 14-hour separation operation at Great Ormond Street.

“Surgeons have told me that to date there hasn’t been a set of conjoined twins in the world who have made such a rapid recovery. They were home after just six weeks. It was incredible how strong they were.”

“When they were joined together, Hassan was the quiet twin and Hussein was the naughty one. But now Hassan has become cheeky. He will grab on to anyone or anything just to move about.”

The brothers, who have one leg each, have weekly physiotherapy and occupational therapy but the long-term prognosis is the same as for other children their age.

“They don’t have their prosthetic limbs yet but they are managing to sit up. They are even crawling and shuffling about on their bums too. Although they can’t stand up they are otherwise doing everything children their age do.”

* You can donate to the Little Fighters’ Fund via: Permanent TSB bank, Patrick Street, Cork. Sort code: 99-07-03 and Account no: 16556196