Santorum Cancels Fla. Events to Spend Time With Daughter Bella
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Steve Pope/Getty Images(ARCADIA, Fla.) — Rick Santorum will not appear at any of his Florida campaign stops Sunday, instead staying with his family and youngest daughter Isabella, who was admitted into a Philadelphia hospital Saturday evening.
“Due to the heath of his youngest daughter Bella, Rick Santorum will remain with his family today,” Santorum campaign spokesman Hogan Gidley said in a statement Sunday. “However, the campaign will resume the following Florida schedule using surrogates. Rick himself intends to return to Florida and resume the campaign schedule as soon as is possible.”
The 3 year old, whom the family calls Bella or Boo, suffers from the rare and serious genetic condition Trisomy 18, which kills about 90 percent of children before or during birth. She is at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where she is regularly treated.
Santorum’s eldest daughter, Elizabeth, 20, will appear at a Sarasota rally Sunday afternoon in his place, along with members of the Duggar family from the TLC show 19 Kids and Counting. The family has campaigned with Santorum in Iowa, South Carolina, and now Florida. The family will also appear at a Lincoln Day Dinner in Punta Gorda, where Santorum was supposed to speak Sunday afternoon.
The campaign says the former Pennsylvania senator will still participate in two evening tele-town halls with Florida and Minnesota voters.
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