Rick Santorum’s 3-year old daughter has been hospitalized in Philadelphia, his campaign said Saturday.
“Rick and his wife Karen are admitting their daughter Bella to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia this evening,” Santorum spokesman Hogan Gidley said in a statement.
The reason for the hospitalization was not provided.
Santorum’s Saturday morning campaign schedule has been canceled, but Gidley said the former Pennsylvania senator intends to return to the campaign trail as soon as possible.
Santorum had been taking a break from campaigning in Florida and had a Saturday fundraiser scheduled in Washington. He was due to return to Florida to attend church Sunday morning in Miami before heading to a rally in Sarasota, Fla. and a dinner in Punta Gorda, Fla.
Isabella Santorum, one of the presidential candidate’s seven children, has a genetic disorder known as Trisomy 18 that causes people to be born with an extra copy of the 18th chromosome. The disorder causes developmental abnormalities, and half of infants born with the condition do not survive for more than a week after birth, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Santorum and his wife, Karen, speak openly on the campaign trail about the challenges and rewards of raising a child with such a condition, but have avoided putting her in public situations on the campaign trail.
That precious little girl has had a rough few years, but the way the Santorum Family has dealt with her health issues has been inspiring. I wish all of them nothing but the best and pray that God provides a miracle for this little girl if it is His Will. The following video that was released before this latest hospitalization will no doubt leave you in tears:
