Conjoined twins separated in 14-hour opApril + progress update

Conjoined twins separated in 14-hour opApril 8, 2010 --

Four-month-old Hassan and Hussein Benhaffaf were joined at the chest
Twins are in intensive care and sedated but stable, surgeon says
Parents: "The sun is shining today for our two little fighters"
London, England (CNN) -- Surgeons in London successfully separated four-month-old conjoined twins after a 14-hour operation Thursday, the hospital announced.

Hassan and Hussein Benhaffaf, who were joined at the chest, are in intensive care and sedated but stable, said consultant pediatric surgeon Edward Kiely, of Great Ormond Street Hospital.

"We are pleased with how the operation went," Kiely said.

The hospital said the next few days would be very important for the twins, whose family live in Ireland.

The twins were born in December at University College London Hospital, CNN affiliate ITN reported. Though joined at the chest, they shared no major organs, Britain's Press Association and Irish broadcaster RTE reported.





"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.

"We thank God, we thank the surgeons and the gifted team at Great Ormond Street Hospital, and we thank from the bottom of our hearts the Irish nation and everyone who prayed for our beloved twins.

"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."

Great Ormond Street Hospital is known for its specialist pediatric care. In conjunction with the University College London Institute of Child Health, it operates what it says is the largest center for pediatric research outside the United States.

chiloe wrote:Thank God for the miracle these surgeons manage to perform.
May Hassan and Hussein grow stronger each and every day.

Great Ormond Street Hospital is truly a centre of excellence and the staff there have carried out more of these operations than any other European country. I think this was possibly one of the most straightforward since the boys did not share any organs. I shall look forward to hearing about the progress of these two little laddies. God bless them and their family.

chiloe wrote:Thank God for the miracle these surgeons manage to perform.
May Hassan and Hussein grow stronger each and every day.

Thank God for the wonders of modern medical science. Whilst the surgeons did an impeccable job such miracles would not be possible without the medical science & technology.

Schnuffel wrote:

chiloe wrote:Thank God for the miracle these surgeons manage to perform.
May Hassan and Hussein grow stronger each and every day.

Thank God for the wonders of modern medical science. Whilst the surgeons did an impeccable job such miracles would not be possible without the medical science & technology.

Medical science and research. We have some of the best hospitals and some of the best medical research establishments in the world. Our London Imperial ranks with the best in the world for medical research.

AnnaEsse wrote:

Schnuffel wrote:

chiloe wrote:Thank God for the miracle these surgeons manage to perform.
May Hassan and Hussein grow stronger each and every day.

Thank God for the wonders of modern medical science. Whilst the surgeons did an impeccable job such miracles would not be possible without the medical science & technology.

Medical science and research. We have some of the best hospitals and some of the best medical research establishments in the world. Our London Imperial ranks with the best in the world for medical research.

Despite their successful surgery conducted by a wonderful team of surgeons and amongst the best medical science in the world the young lives of these two twins are still in the hands of the good Lord, himself. Let's continue to pray that the good Lord grants them and their parents a true miracle over the coming days.

After 14 hours of surgery, twins' long fight for life has just begun

Parents face anxious wait despite successful operation to separate conjoined siblings

Friday, 9 April 2010

Angie and Azzedine Benhaffaf, parents of the conjoined twins successfully separated in a 14-hour operation at Great Ormond Street Hospital, were yesterday beginning a vigil by their sons' bedsides that could last weeks.

The four-month-old twins, Hassan and Hussein, who were joined at the chest and, it is believed, the liver – contrary to reports that they did not share an organ – face a long path to recovery. Although the operation was a technical success, it is impossible to tell how the twins will fare after separation.

Their parents, delighted at the immediate outcome of the surgery, said they had "won the battle of their lives". But the reality is there will be many battles ahead as the twins' surgical wounds heal and their bodies adjust to independent lives.

The length and complexity of the operation – it took 14 hours and required 20 medical staff including four surgeons and four anaesthetists – is an indication of the seriousness of the procedure they have undergone.

The next days will prove crucial for the twins. Their condition is likely to fluctuate hourly, as with all babies treated in intensive care.

They will be monitored around the clock by teams of doctors and nurses who will adjust their drugs and fluids according to how they respond.

Edward Kiely, the consultant paediatric surgeon who led the team, and who is the most experienced surgeon in the country for this kind of operation, gave little away yesterday. "The twins are in intensive care and are sedated but stable. We are pleased with how the operation went," he said.

The Benhaffafs, who came with their older daughters Malika, four, and Iman, two, from east Cork in the Irish Republic to be with their sons for what is expected to be a four-month recovery period, said the "sun was shining" for their "two little fighters".

"Words cannot express the relief and love we feel for our two boys. We thank God, we thank the surgeons and the gifted team at Great Ormond Street Hospital, and we thank from the bottom of our hearts the Irish nation and everyone who prayed for our beloved twins," they said. A fund was set up in Ireland to help the family cover their medical costs.

No pictures of the separated babies or details of the operation were released yesterday. In a statement, Great Ormond Street said the family was being filmed by the Tonight programme for ITV1 and would "not be doing any interviews at this time".

The surgical team at Great Ormond Street has a worldwide reputation for successfully separating conjoined twins. It has dealt with 21 separations and nine inoperable cases. If the liver is the only organ that the twins share, their chances should be relatively good. The liver is one of the few organs that can regenerate and separating it should be relatively simple. The main risk is of haemorrhage – the liver is suffused with blood and supplied by a network of blood vessels.

However, separating conjoined twins is always risky. Experience at Great Ormond Street shows that where the separation is performed as an emergency, only one in four babies survive. Where it is planned, as in this case, the survival rate rises to 80 per cent.

In a recent previous case, Faith and Hope Williams, born in November 2008, were joined like Hassan and Hussein Benhaffaf, at the chest. However, Faith and Hope shared part of their circulatory system and intestine, as well as their liver, and had heart defects.

As the girls' condition deteriorated, they underwent emergency surgery to separate them, which lasted 11 hours, when they were a week old. Though the surgery was a technical success, Hope died on the operating table when her lungs were unable to sustain her on her own. Faith died four weeks later.

Hassan and Hussein, like Faith and Hope, were born at University College Hospital, London, before returning to their home in Ireland to gather strength for the separation attempt.

Conjoined twins are extremely rare, occurring in as few as one in every 200,000 live births. Their mother, Angie, wrote a poem in which she said the twins had "fought to be here" and the operation to separate them was their "final battle".

Although Hassan and Hussein underwent a longer operation than Faith and Hope, their chances are better because the surgery was not carried out as an emergency. But their parents, and their medical team, face an anxious time ahead.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/after-14-hours-of-surgery-twins-long-fight-for-life-has-just-begun-1939869.html :

what am i missing? why is this thread in the madeleine forum

amethyst wrote:what am i missing? why is this thread in the madeleine forum

Good point.

It is important , but not relevant to this case.

Schnuffel, I thank God for the wonderful skills and abilities of the surgical teams who separated these little boys. Now is the time for miracles as they go through the recovery process and their little bodies recover from the trauma of surgery. I'm with you praying for Hassan and Hussein and their family. I felt deeply moved when I saw the short video, before the operation, of one of their sisters, lovingly hugging them and stroking their little heads. The love that surrounds them is what will carry them through.

amethyst wrote:what am i missing? why is this thread in the madeleine forum

I posted it here as not very many people visit other parts of this forum and as the twins case is important I thought people might like to read it.

Antoinette wrote:

amethyst wrote:what am i missing? why is this thread in the madeleine forum

I posted it here as not very many people visit other parts of this forum and as the twins case is important I thought people might like to read it.

Good thinking, Antoinette. I had been following the story on Sky News, but I'm pleased to see it here. After so many news stories about missing and abused children, it's heartening to read about those little boys who are well-loved by their family and whose lives have touched so many people. The fund set up to help with medical expenses has been wholly for their benefit, and those who have contributed can see where the money has been put to very positive and loving use, unlike that other fund we know of that has been used not for the benefit of a missing child, but to shore up her family's reputation.

That's very true Anna. The Irish people (especially those from Cork) really stood up to the mark on this one. There have been so many fundraisers for the family over the last few months they are not going to have to worry about medical bills. All the radio stations got behind this family and really helped in highlighting their story. I was in my local shopping centre 2 weeks ago and there was a girl about 12years old playing the violin to raise money for this family. She had a poster done up with the kids faces on it asking for donations. It was great to see so many people standing listening to this kid & donating.

The hospital the twins were in over in Cork had donation buckets for them also. I know from experience the staff in the neo unit in CUMH (Cork University Maternity Hospital) are Fantastic. There are so many babies that end up in the neo unit & they do an excellent job taking care of the babies & keeping the parents up to date on their childs health.

Antoinette wrote:That's very true Anna. The Irish people (especially those from Cork) really stood up to the mark on this one. There have been so many fundraisers for the family over the last few months they are not going to have to worry about medical bills. All the radio stations got behind this family and really helped in highlighting their story. I was in my local shopping centre 2 weeks ago and there was a girl about 12years old playing the violin to raise money for this family. She had a poster done up with the kids faces on it asking for donations. It was great to see so many people standing listening to this kid & donating.

The hospital the twins were in over in Cork had donation buckets for them also. I know from experience the staff in the neo unit in CUMH (Cork University Maternity Hospital) are Fantastic. There are so many babies that end up in the neo unit & they do an excellent job taking care of the babies & keeping the parents up to date on their childs health.

Antoinette, it's truly inspiring how people can put so much energy and effort into helping others. My niece has a child who was born with a very rare genetic anomaly. The doctors predicted he would go into kidney failure and die before he was a week old. He didn't! He came through complicated surgery in his first couple of years, but was quiet and uncommunicative. Local people banded together and one person was featured on a TV show about sponsored weight loss for a charity. The money raised was to send the laddie to Florida for dolphin therapy. I have photos of a tiny child, holding onto Alphonso the dolphin, a big smile on both faces! That therapy brought the laddie out of his shell and he came home using Makaton signs and showing signs of being a stroppy two-year-old. The generosity of those Scottish people helped a child and therefore his whole family.

People can be so generous and caring where a small child is concerned and the McCanns took advantage of that generosity of spirit that drives people to do something positive.

AnnaEsse wrote:

Antoinette, it's truly inspiring how people can put so much energy and effort into helping others. My niece has a child who was born with a very rare genetic anomaly. The doctors predicted he would go into kidney failure and die before he was a week old. He didn't! He came through complicated surgery in his first couple of years, but was quiet and uncommunicative. Local people banded together and one person was featured on a TV show about sponsored weight loss for a charity. The money raised was to send the laddie to Florida for dolphin therapy. I have photos of a tiny child, holding onto Alphonso the dolphin, a big smile on both faces! That therapy brought the laddie out of his shell and he came home using Makaton signs and showing signs of being a stroppy two-year-old. The generosity of those Scottish people helped a child and therefore his whole family.

People can be so generous and caring where a small child is concerned and the McCanns took advantage of that generosity of spirit that drives people to do something positive.

AnnaEsse what a heartwarming story l love it when doctors are proved wrong with their grim diagnoses, what a special little boy

margaret wrote:

AnnaEsse wrote:

Antoinette, it's truly inspiring how people can put so much energy and effort into helping others. My niece has a child who was born with a very rare genetic anomaly. The doctors predicted he would go into kidney failure and die before he was a week old. He didn't! He came through complicated surgery in his first couple of years, but was quiet and uncommunicative. Local people banded together and one person was featured on a TV show about sponsored weight loss for a charity. The money raised was to send the laddie to Florida for dolphin therapy. I have photos of a tiny child, holding onto Alphonso the dolphin, a big smile on both faces! That therapy brought the laddie out of his shell and he came home using Makaton signs and showing signs of being a stroppy two-year-old. The generosity of those Scottish people helped a child and therefore his whole family.

People can be so generous and caring where a small child is concerned and the McCanns took advantage of that generosity of spirit that drives people to do something positive.

AnnaEsse what a heartwarming story l love it when doctors are proved wrong with their grim diagnoses, what a special little boy

Thank you margaret. We are all so proud of him. He has defied every prediction: he would live for a week; he would never crawl, then never walk, then never talk, then would never be able to attend any kind of school. He was Pupil of the Year at his special school! He has an amazing mother and a huge family who love him. My niece has never accepted offers of respite care because she would not let him be looked after by people he didn't know and because she has never had to with her caring family.

Benhaffaf twins leave intensive care
Wednesday, 5 May 2010 16:40
The Benhaffaf twins from Cork - who underwent a 14-hour long operation to separate them last month - have left the intensive care unit at the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.

Hassan and Hussein Benhaffaf are now on a surgical ward.

In a statement, the hospital said the twins are breathing unaided and are being bottle-fed.

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It said their medical team continue to be pleased by their progress and recovery.

Their parents, Angie and Azzedine, said in a statement that the boys were reunited in the same cot together for the first time today.

The twins were born conjoined on 2 December 2009 at University College Hospital in London.

Ahhhhh, thats good to hear.


Hope they continue with their recovery and will be home soon with mummy and daddy.

Thank you Antoinette. I'd love to see some photos of them together.

There's one of them on this link

http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0505/benhaffaf.html
They are still joined in the pic. I don't think there will be any pics of them released as the family signed a contract with UTV to allow them exclusive rites to all info on them. There will be a documentary of the twins on UTV at some stage and when it's on I'll let everyone know.

Thanks Antoinette.

Aww that is really great news, I wish them all the love and best wishes in the world, in their recovery.

OMG what gorgeous little babies! I'm sure they will be just fine as they didnt share organs.

buladh bás! all round.

A nice story about kids at last. Well done kiddies, keep it up and have a long and healthy life,

fred wrote:A nice story about kids at last. Well done kiddies, keep it up and have a long and healthy life,

Isnt that the truth???

Sometimes this forum is so depressing we need some good news for a change