IRISH TWIN boys Hassan and Hussein Benhaffaf, separated in 14-hour surgery last week, remain in a stable condition in the intensive care unit at Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital in London.
It is understood doctors in England are pleased with the progress of the twins.
However, a source close to the family says it will be many weeks before the recovery of the boys from surgery is over.
A progress bulletin is expected to be released this week by Dr Edward Kiely, who headed the complicated separation surgery of the four-month-old twins.
The boys' parents, Angie and Azzedine, who are from Carrigtwohill, Co Cork, are currently being filmed for an ITN Tonightdocumentary which will air in mid-May.
Ms Benhaffaf felt she was helped by seeing documentaries on previous cases of conjoined twins and her feeling was that she should ensure that a documentary should also be made of her family’s experience to help others later.
Meanwhile she is keeping a record of media coverage that Hassan and Hussein will be able to see in later years.
The “box” of newspaper cuttings is filling rapidly and the family is also keeping links to RTÉ and TV3 footage.
About 20 staff, including four anaesthetists and four surgeons led by Cork-born Dr Kiely, worked in shifts during the complex procedure, which began at Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital in London at 8.30am last Wednesday.
The hospital is the most experienced centre in Europe for the separation of twins, with the teams having dealt with 21 separations and nine inoperable cases to date.
It is understood that Hassan and Hussein were conjoined at the chest area but did not share any vital organs.