The mother of Cork’s most famous twins says she can never sleep a wink when the anniversary of their separation rolls around each year.
Hassan and Hussein Benhaffaf made international headlines when they were born conjoined from chest to pelvis in December 2009.
Their mother Angie said she will never forget the moment they went in for surgery this day ten years ago.
“The reality is that this is my tenth year in a row that I didn’t sleep a wink last night,” she said,
“It is just, I suppose, if I bring myself back to that night ten years ago, I stayed up the entire night and held them in my arms, scared to put them down in case I never held them again.
“It is weird because every single year, it is like I am scared to go to sleep. It sounds strange but I can never sleep on that night.”
She said bringing them in for the surgery “took so much out” of herself and her husband.
“It was heart-breaking and it was a very hard thing to do because you never knew if you were going to get two of them back,” she said.
“And sure, you couldn’t have one without the other, they are my little double act.”
Hassan and Hussein BenhaffafShe said the boys have very different personalities but are both “equally as sweet as the other.”
“It’s so funny because, since the time they were in my tummy and I remember describing them at the time to their little sisters, one of them was always on the move and you could always sense that he was going to be the noisy one,” she said.
“The other twin rarely moved and the hospital had always been concerned about him because there wasn’t so much movement.
“As it turns out Hassan is definitely the more outgoing and the cheeky chappy and always in school has all the girls around him.
“Hussein is definitely the quieter one and he kind of follows in Hassan’s footsteps and looks for his approval.”
“Very different boys but equally as sweet as the other.
She said both boys have accepted the restrictions on their movements due to COVID-19 with good grace over the past 25 days and the family will celebrate the anniversary today.
“We had hoped to have a celebration with everyone involved in their journey invited,” she said.
“We are just going to make it as special here at home because the six most important people are her together and that is all you can truly want.”
You can listen back to the full interview here:
Angie Benhaffaf, the mother of Cork's most famous twins Hassan and Hussein spoke to Shane Coleman on @BreakfastNT 10 years on to the day since the surgery to separate the conjoined twins #Hope #Inspiration #BKNT https://t.co/15B8AxZnX8
— Newstalk Breakfast (@BreakfastNT) April 7, 2020
