Rick Santorum Cancels Campaign Stops While Daughter Is Ill

BOCA RATON, Fla. — Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum said Sunday his daughter Bella remains in the hospital with pneumonia but is recovering after a rough 36 hours.

Santorum spoke with Florida supporters by telephone from 3-year-old Bella's hospital room and said doctors hope she can go home in the next few days.

The former Pennsylvania senator also said, "We're going to get out on the campaign trail later tomorrow ... heading out to the Midwest, and start campaigning in the next states as we move this campaign forward."

Santorum scheduled a speech Monday in Missouri and another event in southwest Minnesota – two states with early February contests. He then planned to head to Colorado and Nevada for events Tuesday.

"I feel very, very good about where we are and where the campaign is going," the candidate said.

But during the call with Florida voters, Santorum opened his remarks with his daughter, who has a genetic condition known as Trisomy 18. The condition typically proves fatal and Santorum often says his daughter wasn't expected to live past 12 months.

"She without a doubt has turned the corner," he said. But he cautioned she "isn't out of the woods yet."

Santorum called his daughter's improvement a "miraculous turnaround" after an unexpected detour from the campaign just days before Tuesday's Florida primary.

Santorum got to his home in Virginia around midnight Friday for a quick break to do his taxes, but found his daughter "was not doing well."

"I was up with her a lot of the night," he said. "By the end of the day, it was really, really clear she was struggling."

Saturday evening, Santorum aides announced Bella had been admitted to the hospital and they canceled his morning interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" and church services in Miami. His aides later canceled his trip to Florida and instead sent his 20-year-old daughter to campaign for him.

Santorum described the situation as a "very, very tough night last night" but said by late Sunday Bella was "alert and back to her own beautiful, happy girl."

"It's been a very hectic 36 hours," Santorum said. "Life in the Santorum family has dramatically improved since the late afternoon."

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Comments

[kaykaythere]

09:11 AM on 01/30/2012

I will continue to say prayers for this beautiful little gift all the while her father contiuned to bash gay (and in my case military) Americans.

Shows you who is more spiritual.

Prayers Bella

[ihatepeople0 1]

09:07 AM on 01/30/2012

I tried to post this yesterday, maybe have better luck today....
My best wishes for Bella and her family, Hopefully all the family will make best use of the time she has left, Unfortunately Trisome 18 is not the kind of thing where a full recovery is possible, and a very difficult burden for any child or family affected by it...Best wishes....

[gaydood]

08:59 AM on 01/30/2012

they just said on local tv rick will in MN tonight?

[Liberal Chic]

02:00 AM on 01/30/2012

Am I the only one who thinks someone who touts themselves as such a good Christian "family man" is choosing to remain in the race despite no chance of winning with a sick child at home?!? Gotta love that family values is always trumped by the desire for ultimate power.... sad.

[sabrinalilypup]

12:47 AM on 01/30/2012

SANTORUM - You might not believe in Polls....but you are always in the rear end of the elephant. Give it up Santorum....what makes you think you'd make it to the top. First off, no one wants to invest on you...you ain't got the money.
I don't like you....I don't like your arrogance and your cockiness, Bet this is the same reasons no one likes to give up their money for your campaign. We can see through you.

[recovering Catholic]

12:09 AM on 01/30/2012

He sure seems to suffer a lot of misfortune. Maybe he isn't praying to his god enough, or maybe there's no one out there listening.

[Kathy Fraser]

10:11 PM on 01/29/2012

Yeah, sure, blame the kid.

[perturbedintexas]

10:05 PM on 01/29/2012

Even though I resent what Santorum represents, I will put politics aside when I wish the best for this child. With children of my own, I know how stressful it is to have someone you love sick with a poor prognosis. Best wishes for the Santorum family. Blessed are the peacemakers .

[simfony]

10:03 PM on 01/29/2012

Get well soon little one.

[FactsvsFear]

09:52 PM on 01/29/2012

He has ZERO and I mean ZERO chance at this point. So I would withdraw and go be with my family period.

[Ted LPD]

09:20 PM on 01/29/2012

3 years old? This due is too old to be still having babies

[billtmore]

09:16 PM on 01/29/2012

I don't like Santorum but his little daughter is as cute as can be. It will be interesting to see how his other children turn out as adults....sometimes they fly so drastically in the 180 degree opposite direction than raised

[Lambpie]

08:29 PM on 01/29/2012

It's a public blog. There will be commenting. There are always a lot of side conversations. Would the conservatives trying to suggest we're evil liberals about this child (nobody has said a bad word about this child) please let the liberals know how much time must pass after a sick child is put in the hospital for the rest of us to feel free to comment as we all normally do? There are comments on Milken tonight about how horrible the liberals were on here about this. When it's simply not true that the liberals said a bad word about this child. We can't stand her father. This in no way implies we wish ill on a child. Nobody has wished them harm. He runs on wishing others harm though. And his daughter being ill doesn't make that any less real.

[chris16]

07:07 PM on 01/29/2012

Florida is a winner takes all delegates. Santorum doesn't have a chance so he should have left after the debate Thursday to be with his family and do his taxes.

[Lmurwood]

06:30 PM on 01/29/2012

I hope she is gonna be alright. As alright as she can be.