June 24, 2023: The Benhaffaf twins at Áras an Uachtaráin where President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins and his wife Sabina Higgins hosted a Family Day garden party.President of Ireland
Hassan and Hussein Benhaffaf, 13, were born connected to one another from chest to pelvis, sharing some vital organs and only having one leg each.
The Cork teens are now often referred to as "the Miracle Twins" after doctors told their mother Angie Benhaffaf that there was a 70% chance they would die while she was giving birth to them.
Cork-born surgeon Edward Kiely spent 14 hours separating the twins when they were just four months old in an intricate surgery at London's Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Having now undergone an astonishing 65 surgeries, the twins have remarkably graduated from primary school in Co Cork and are now setting their sights on representing Ireland in the Paralympic Games.
Hassan said in a pre-recorded message at his graduation: "If it wasn’t for my mum I would not be standing on this stage.
“She has helped me reach milestones not a single person on this planet thought would be possible. And that’s because she didn’t give up, not on me, not on the world, not on anyone. She is the most loving, caring person.”
Angie said she "couldn't have been prouder" when her sons graduated primary school and said they are now set to appear in a sports-themed commercial that will show off their skills at wheelchair basketball.
"They’ve overcome so much to get where they have today, and now they’ve beaten hundreds of able-bodied children to get selected for this advert," Angie told the Irish Independent.
"They put together a two-and-a-half minute audition video themselves of all the sports they play, including basketball, climbing and athletics.
"Nothing frightens them, and they don’t think that there’s anything they can’t achieve, despite their physical limitations."
Over the weekend, the Benhaffaf family was among the guests to attend a Family Day garden party hosted by President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins and his wife Sabina Higgins at Áras an Uachtaráin in Dublin.
June 24, 2023: Hassan and Hussein Benhaffaf with their mother Angie and President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins at Áras an Uachtaráin for the Family Day garden party. (President of Ireland)
The twins will travel to Coventry in the UK later this week to represent Ireland at the Disabled Sports England Games, where they will take part in the discus, javelin, and shot put events. Last year, the duo brought home an impressive medal haul from the events:
What better way to get in to the #MondayMotivation mood than seeing Hassan and Hussein return from the DSE National Junior Athletics games in Coventry. Hauling back 1x gold, 3x silver and 2x bronze medals between them, while setting new PB’s in the process! Well done to you both! pic.twitter.com/JudrQiubVW
— Rebel Wheelers Multi-Sport Club (@RebelWheelers) July 4, 2022
Angie told the Irish Examiner: "I love how they grab life by the horns and make their own dreams come true. They teach us all a lot."