Mum of Cork's formerly conjoined twins, Angie Benhaffaf set to host 10th fundraiser

THE past eight months have been the most medically challenging in years for formerly conjoined twins Hassan and Hussein Benhaffaf.

So said their mum Angie, who was speaking ahead of her ‘Cork Wears Red’ fundraising lunch which takes place in the Vienna Woods Hotel on Sunday, August 25.

Incredibly, this is Angie’s 10th such lunch, and over the past decade she’s raised almost €100,000 for charities that positively impact the lives of children, including Make A Wish, Bumbleance, Crumlin’s Straight Ahead fund, the Puffin Ward CUH and YANA Cork Domestic Violence Project.

“This year’s lunch is for St Joseph’s Ward in Crumlin where scoliosis patients and kids with orthopaedic conditions are minded and cared for so well pre and post op.

“It’s where the boys have spent time before and after their surgeries. They’ve been going there their whole lives, and cared for by some of the same nurses over that time too. 

It’s a really special ward, and some of the staff are coming to the lunch which is really nice.

The boys made international headlines when they were born conjoined from chest to pelvis in December, 2009. Four months later, they were separated following a delicate 14-hour operation. The twins are now 14, and going into their second year at Carrigtwohill Community College, after having had a “most amazing first year”. Sister Malika is 20, and home for the summer from college, and Iman has just turned 17 and is going into 5th year.

It’s a busy household like any other, particularly with the boys’ medical appointments part of the schedule,” said Angie.

“Hussein had his 65th surgery in February in Crumlin. It was an 11-hour surgery and even though it went well, it was very difficult. There’s been a very long recovery. He also had a new diagnosis, something that was discovered as part of his pre-op tests, so that’s also very worrying,.

“Hussan was also very sick at the start of the year. There were two weeks when he was very ill, with a severe critical infection. He had major surgery two years ago, he hasn’t really been right since, but he is doing well now. I do have to keep a close eye on him though.

“There was one particular occasion when he was taken by ambulance as an emergency to Crumlin, while Hussein was also arriving there for something planned – two brothers, two separate ambulances, same hospital, same day. In my heart I’d have thought that things might have calmed down a little for us now, but we’ve actually come through some of the toughest few months we’ve had in a while,” she added.

Where does she find the strength?

“It can be hard sometimes, but you just find it, you’ve no choice,” she said. “If I’m honest, it’s been a very hard few months. As the boys get older, they’re becoming more involved in their care.

When they were younger I was able to protect them from hearing the stuff they didn’t need to know, but now they’re signing their own consent forms. 

"It’s heartbreaking as it’s a reality that I’ve hidden from them for a long time.”

Originally from Togher and living in Carrigtwohill for more than two decades, Angie admits she has “no back-up, or day off”.

“I don’t really have anyone to step in, but my happy place is to go to the ocean, Garryvoe or Youghal, to walk or just sit and recharge. It’s such a healing place and very relevant to the boys’ lives. Just before they were separated I brought them to the beach and said that if they survived we’d come back every year for their birthdays, which we do. It’s always a special place for us, so it just makes sense that it’s where I go.”

Angie wrote a book, Little Fighters, in 2011, which was a huge success and people, she said, regularly plead with her for an update.

“But it’s very hard to find the time for anything these days,” she said.

Given the challenges of the past few months, friends asked her if she had the energy to organise this year’s lunch.

“I have a handful of close friends, and they know too well the highs and lows of my life. They can see the toll the past eight months have taken but I see the lunch as a positive distraction for me from reality. I love to give something back to those that help others, and who have helped us.

“It’s something that I enjoy and it’s important for me to know I can pull this off. Besides, it’s amazing how much you can organise from a hospital bedside,” she said. “I put my heart and soul into the event, it takes everything out of me. 

When I started 10 years ago, I never imagined I’d be doing it this long but the feedback is always great. 

"Within a week of one lunch, people are asking about next year’s one because they want to book their holidays around it.”

The twins are avid sportsmen, and compete in athletics and wheelchair basketball. When The Echo caught up with Angie she had just dropped them to the gym: “They love sport, they’re really focused on it, and they’ve a fabulous bunch of friends. They don’t let their conditions define them, they’re just truly inspiring.”

Tickets for Cork Wears Red lunch at the Vienna Woods Hotel on Sunday August 25, at noon are €90, including a prosecco reception, three-course meal with wine, four fabulous entertainers, quality goody bags, and more. For tickets, call 086 8117536 or see ‘Cork Wears Red lunch’ on Facebook