Hanif family is hit twice at once
It is said that twins share a lot of things in life.
But for parents Ben and Nikki Hanif, their seven-year-old twin girls Aara and Eliza share the same genetic disease.
At birth the twins were diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis (CF), a life-threatening genetic condition that primarily affects the lungs and digestive system.
The Papakura, south Auckland residents say they told the girls they had CF when they were six and the girls deal with it in their own ways.
‘‘Aara starts to cry and has a lot of questions as to why her? Will she get better? When will this go away? Why aren’t the treatments making her CF go away for good?’’ Nikki says.
‘‘Eliza is quiet, she will just hug us tight and cry. She really doesn’t like talking about it.’’
This week celebrates Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Week and currently there are about 500 people with Cystic Fibrosis in NZ – 105 living in Auckland including six people in Manukau.
People with CF secrete thick, sticky mucus in their bodies. The mucus in their lungs traps bacteria which can result in repeated lung infections and inflammation, ultimately leading to lung damage and possible respiratory failure.
In the pancreas, the mucus can prevent the release of enzymes needed to help the body break down food and absorb nutrients.
Nikki says the twins take a fair bit of medication for their CF and their days start at 6am on school days.
‘‘Both girls are required to have keep their lungs cleared from mucus build-up so they do their positive expiration pressure therapy twice, every day which helps move the secretions.’’
At school the twins have a teacher aide to assist them with food and medication to help aid their digestion.
Aara and Eliza both say they dislike having CF because it makes them really sick.
‘‘It makes us sick, we have to go to the hospital all the time and have to take so many pills all the time.
‘‘We really don’t like physio in the morning. I can’t help mummy in the garden like my brother. I can’t go to my friends’ place because we are still learning about how many medications to take when eating,’’ Aara says.
The twins love playing games, running cross country at school, soccer and swimming.
Go to cfnz.org.nz information. for more