Isabella Santorum, “Bella”, is the youngest daughter of politician Rick Santorum. Earlier this year, she was in the hospital because she had pneumonia. Bella has Trisomy 18, which causes many health problems. She was recently rushed to the hospital, and the family is requesting prayers and privacy.
Trisomy 18 is a chromosomal disorder that a child is born with. It is a genetic disorder in which a person has a third copy of genetic material from chromosome number 18.
Normally, people have two copies of that portion of the chromosome, not three. The word “trisomy” refers to the three copies. The disorder has also been called Edwards syndrome, after geneticist John Edwards, who first discovered the extra chromosome that causes Trisomy 18.
Rick Santorum has a daughter named Isabella, who goes by “Bella”. She has Trisomy 18. Earlier this year, in January, she was in the hospital because she had pneumonia. This caused her father to temporarily leave the campaign trail in order to care for his daughter. Several news stations and websites mentioned it.
The extra genetic material on chromosome 18 interferes with normal development. Often, a mother who is carrying a baby who has Trisomy 18 will have a miscarriage. The National Institute of Health estimates that half of all infants who are born with Trisomy 18 do not survive past their first week of life. It has been said that 50% of the children born with this disorder die within their first three months of life, and 90% die within the first year. Bella is now three years old, so she has beaten the odds.
Symptoms of Trisomy 18 include several serious health issues. It includes congenital heart disease, (which can lead to congestive heart failure). The disorder makes the child’s lungs especially susceptible to catching pneumonia. Other symptoms are severe cognitive impairments, physical malformations of the hands, feet, ears, and head, and kidney problems.
Bella Santorum has recently been re-admitted to the hospital. The family is requesting prayers and privacy. It is unclear if she has experienced another bout of pneumonia, or if she has been hospitalized due to another health related issue.
You don’t have to agree with Rick Santorum’s political views to realize that it must be difficult for him and his family to have a situation where Bella needs to be hospitalized. This is something that parents of children with special needs, (similar to or different from Bella’s condition), learn to cope with. Hopefully, Bella will recover quickly, like she did during her previous hospitalization.
Image by Mark Taylor on Flickr