Santorum Daughter Hospitalized

Rick Santorum's 3-year-old daughter, Isabella, who suffers from the genetic condition Trisomy 18, was hospitalized yesterday, causing Santorum to cancel his campaign events this morning to travel to Philadelphia and be by her side, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer. Half of babies with Trisomy 18, a chromosomal defect, are stillborn, and fewer than 10% make it to their first birthday.

"All children are a gift that comes with no guarantees," Santorum wrote in a newspaper column in 2010. "While Bella's life may not be long, and though she requires our constant care, she is worth every tear." Isabella's condition has caused frequent visits to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "I look at the simplicity and love she emits," Santorum said in a recent web video, "and it's clear to me we're the disabled ones." Santorum's campaign say they expect him to return to Florida later today. (More Rick Santorum stories.)