My Jesus be with this sweet little one.
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The three-year-old daughter of Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum has been admitted to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the candidate has cancelled his Sunday morning campaign events to be at her side.
Santorum campaign spokesman Hogan Gidley said Saturday night that the former Pennsylvania senator and his wife, Karen, were with Bella at CHOP. Gidley said Santorum planned to return to campaigning as soon as possible in Florida, where the Republican primary is Tuesday.
Bella Santorum has Trisomy 18, a genetic condition in which a child has a third copy of material from chromosome 18, instead of the usual two, causing a wide array of physical and mental problems.
Bella was not expected to survive until her first birthday – half of infants with Trisomy 18 do not survive their first week, according the National Institutes of Health. Some children have lived to their teenage years, but with significant medical and developmental issues.
The Santorums have been frequent visitors to CHOP with their daughter, and concerns over Isabella’s health have canceled previous Santorum campaign events.
During his campaign, Santorum and his wife have spoken openly about the challenges and rewards of raising a child with such a condition.
The Santorums have six other children; they lost a baby boy, Gabriel, shortly after his birth in 1996. Bella was born in 2008; two years later, Santorum wrote about her in an Inquirer column.
“All children are a gift that comes with no guarantees,” he wrote. “While Bella’s life may not be long, and though she requires our constant care, she is worth every tear.”
via Santorum daughter admitted to hospital | Philadelphia Inquirer | 01/28/2012.
Of all my criticisms of the GOP field, this is not one of them. Rick Santorum is a good father to all of his children; especially Bella.
The only thing I will say, because I am fair and balanced type of a blogger; is that Rick Santorum should be grateful that he actually has healthcare to help take care of his daughter. Because there are many, like myself, who have no healthcare insurance at all. Not that I believe that it should come from the Government. However, I believe that Mr. Santorum should be a bit more mindful that there are some, that are not of his financial status, and their children would most certainly not be as lucky as Bella.
Having said all of that; My prayers go out to the Santorum family during this difficult time. May the Lord Jesus hold Bella in the palm of his hand.
Others: Michelle Malkin and Atlas Shrugs