(EWTN NEWS)—Presidential candidate Rick Santorum just released a heartfelt video introducing one of his eight children: 3-year-old Isabella Maria, who has a condition similar to Down syndrome.
“At the last debate, I mentioned how I was looking forward to taking the red eye home to see my 3-year-old daughter, Bella, since she had surgery earlier that day,” Santorum said in an Oct. 27 statement.
Following the debate, Santorum said he and his wife Karen — both Catholic and married for 20 years — were “touched by the tremendous outpouring” of emails and calls from supporters voicing their prayers for Bella.
“She’s doing great and is back to her joyful, smiley self,” Santorum said. And since “so many of you were asking about her,” he added, “we wanted to share this video to introduce her to you.”
In the three-minute clip, the presidential hopeful recalls the birth of his brown-eyed, curly haired “special girl” three years ago and the immediate concern doctors had.
“When she was born, we knew something was wrong, but we didn’t know what it was,” he said. “It wasn’t until five days later that they came back and told Karen and I that she had a disorder called Trisomy 18, which is similar to Down syndrome.”
The couple was told that Bella’s life expectancy was a matter of hours and days.
Although they were “blessed to have her” for any amount of time, Santorum remembers being told by the medical community at hand: “Why do anything? Just let her go. She’s not going to be able to do much or be able to be like normal children.”
“It angered us to hear that because she was our daughter like every other one of our children,” he said. “(W)e felt we owed her the opportunity and the chance to do as well as she could.”
Santorum also recalls a doctor visiting the family soon after Bella was taken home who described how Bella was going to die and what precautions the family should take to assist the baby.
When the doctor left, “Karen and I said to each other, ‘We’re not going to focus on her dying; we’re going to focus on her living, and we’re going to do everything we can to help her.’”
“Over the past few years, she has been a wonderful, joyful center of the universe for our family,” Santorum said. “We just thank God every day that we have her — I would say Bella makes us better.”
“Some people describe people like Bella as disabled — and I look at her, and I look at the joy and the simplicity and the love that she emits, and it’s clear to me that we’re the disabled ones. Not her.”
“She’s got a great, beautiful spirit,” he noted. “And we can learn a lot from that.”
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So beautiful. Look at her eyes!Thank you for sharing Bella!
If she was born she already had a fighting chance (only half make it that far). Why quit on her? If she made it to three years old she is in a small minority. She is a little fighter and a survivor. Hooray Bella…you show ‘em.
It is impossible not to smile when you look at Bella! She’s just pure joy, and I can only imagine the gift she is to the Santorum family. C’mon folks—we gotta get this man into the White House!!! SANTORUM 2012
This hits really close to home for me. When I was pregnant with my 3rd daughter, they told me that she might have Trisomy-18 or Downs Syndrome and told us that we only had a limited time to decide on an abortion. I was shocked, scared, and appalled. It turns out her chances of having either one based on the information they had at the point was extremely small. She was born perfectly healthy, and she is three-years-old just like Bella.
Most Trisomy-18 babies don’t make it very long past birth. Bella is truly a miracle!
WHAT A PRECIOUS CHILD! LIKE MY BEAUTIFUL NEPHEW, DANIEL, WHO HAS DOWN SYNDROME AND WILL BE NINETEEN ON 11/11/11, BELLA IS A GIFT. UNLESS PEOPLE PERSONALLY KNOW AND LOVE CHILDREN LIKE THESE, THEY CAN’T REALLY CONCEIVE THE JOY AND EXCITEMENT WE FEEL WITH EVERY MILESTONE OUR DEAR ONES REACH. WE FEEL SO BLESSED THAT GOD HAS ENTRUSTED US WITH DANIEL AND GIVEN US THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE BETTER PEOPLE THAN WE WOULD HAVE BEEN WITHOUT HIM. GOD BLESS BELLA AND THE ENTIRE SANTORUM FAMILY.
I don’t see any photo or video of Bella?
I also will pray for your lovely daughter. I will also pray that you drop out of politics. The misguided crusade that you have launched is so far removed from the true teachings of Christ that I am surprised your Pastor has not counseled you on this. I have no doubt about your belief in your zealot cause. What I do believe is that if you truly examined it you would find it disturbing. If Bella were born to a poor women, no, would be your compassionate response relating to funding for her care. I believe that compassion in the Republican Party stops at the dollar sign of conception. I believe that you and your wife trifle with life when you continue to conceive passed Karen’s fruitfull years. If that sounds mean,it isn’t meant to be. Karen already sued and you joined and profited when her back was wrenched from a Doctor she saw for pain, most likely caused by her own health and reckless pregnacies. She is not of bearing ability. You know, I am sure, there are ways to have relations within church teachings that don’t require conception when it is unwise. Your school district in Pittsburgh was saddled with a home school bill, unfairly, for your children. Yes, you paid after you were sued. I have several children as well. I value life, but as a world we need to understand our responsibilities and resources. I hope your darling, sweet daughter thrives. I wish you respected other peoples children as well. That includes those who were born with a different orientation. You are not not qualified to be in politics. You need to pray to God for a path in the private sector that is not in any way shape or form funded by lobby , political, financial, religious or agenda based groups. You need to start to earn a living off the public dole and atone for your hate filled, misguided agenda. May the Catholic Church continue to grow and leave its dark obstacles behind. That would include you unfortunate philosophy. Best Regards In Christ’s Name, Marie
I agree with everything Sen Santorum said about parenting his daughter and I admire their faithfulness in carrying out their vocation. She is a blessing who can teach us all quite a lot about life.
I have, however heard/read him react passionately against the care that was offered to her in a way that made it all sound very “culture of death”. In reality 98% of trisomy 18 babies don’t ever reach Bella’s age (as a normal course of the disease) and those families need supportive care. Neonatal and Pediatric Hospice is a life affirming process and has nothing to do with “giving up on” anyone.
He is right that it IS about living and not about dying - all I ask is that the committed prolife professionals who care for dying children (thus helping them LIVE) not get thrown under a bus by assuming that we are not about “living”. Its very very hard when 100% want to be the 2% and in reality the 98% are in fact the 98% - we can and must cheer them on also.
Oh Marie, you made you judge?
When you read a post such as the one signed “Marie,” you can not comprehend that this individual calls herself a Christian, and invokes the name of the Risen Christ. Senator Santorum has proved himself a true Catholic in every way, one who practices his faith and not just talks the game.
Marie, Please dont call on the name of our blessed Lord then insert yourself into the private childbearing lives of practicing Catholics. Much of what you said was none of your business. If you want to talk politics then do so but your comments were severely inappropriate and reflects poorly on comments who would otherwise engage in a helpful exchange.
To those who commented to my posting I would like to apologize if I offended you or anyone else for that matter, most of all God. I do have serious issues with Rick Santorum’s positions regarding segments of our society. However, I was wrong to judge him as pointed out.
I have and will continue to pray for his beautiful daughter to thrive and encourage all that meet her.
My sincere thanks for your candid comments. I heard them, took them to heart and learned a valuable lesson.
:-) God bless and be with you.
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