After a 14-hour wait the anxious parents of conjoined twins Hassan and Hussein Benhaffaf, finally received the news they had been praying for — their precious twins had survived the operation to separate them and were in stable condition.
Joined at the chest, the twins were born at University College London Hospital in December, reports CNN. Their parents, Angie and Azzedine Benhaffaf, who live in Ireland made the heart-wrenching decision to separate them last month and flew to London to prepare. On Wednesday a team of 20 staff, including 4 surgeons performed the intricate operation at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital — with great results.
“The sun is shining today for our two little fighters, who have won the battle of their lives!” the parents said in a written statement. “Words cannot express the relief and love we feel for our two boys,” they said as they were pictured outside the hospital, hugging their two daughters, Malika and Iman and greeting well-wishers.
Conjoined twins are extremely rare, occurring in as few as one in every 200,000 live births, according to Britain’s Independent which says that despite contrary reports, the Hassan and Hussein did share one vital organ — their liver.
Angie Benhaffaf wrote a poem in which she said the twins had “fought to be here” and in the statement said: “We are so proud of the courage and strength that Hassan and Hussein have shown, and they both have made the world a much better place with them in it.”
With a fund set up in Ireland to help the family cover the medical costs, the Benhaffafs plan to stay in the city for the next four months, so the twins can receive the very best in medical care at the world-renowned hospital.
Screengrab via YouTube.