Eight years after a major operation to separate them, twins Hassan and Hussein Benhaffaf are flying high - particularly after their VIP backstage tour of Shannon Airport.
The Cork boys, who have undergone 45 operations since their birth in 2009, were given a dream ticket by the Share A Dream Foundation that included a visit to an airplane cockpit and becoming honorary firemen at the airport station. They took on the role of operation managers at the airport for the day.
It was part of a weekend of treats in the region which also took in a trip to Dreamland Limerick and an overnight luxury stay at the five star Savoy Hotel.
Hassan and Hussein were born conjoined but were successfully separated in a 14 hour operation at the Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital in London in 2010.
Nearly all of their organs were joined including the liver, gut and bladder. A rare phenomenon, the condition is estimated to occur in about one in 50,000 to one in 200,000 births.
“The airport staff couldn’t have been more helpful. It’s a busy day for the airport but they were so generous with their time and the boys loved every minute of it,” their mother Angie said.
Share A Dream founder Shay Kinsella said Shannon Airport had demonstrated why it had a strong community reputation.
“They really get behind you as we’ve seen today with the boys. They smiled from ear to ear and they have made true friends in the boys and their family,” he said.
