The More You Know

How Bella Santorum Had A Positive Impact On Families With Sick Children

Bella Santorum doesn’t lead the blissful, carefree toddler existence that her healthy peers are lucky enough to have, but the 3-year-old can definitely say she has changed the lives of many Americans, inspired the families of kids with Trisomy 18, and created awareness of the rare chromosomal abnormality.

The daughter of former presidential candidate Rick Santorum is a miracle child, as little ones affected by her illness typically don’t live to see their first birthday. That’s why her indomitable strength as she has endured two hospitalizations this year has instilled positive thoughts in the relatives of younguns’ with the condition:

“A couple years ago, nobody knew what trisomy 18 was,” Susan Budd, the parent of a 2-year-old with the health issue, told POLITICO last week. “Now, when I’m out and about and when somebody will ask me about my daughter, they’ll see trisomy 18 and they’ll say, ‘Oh, isn’t that what Rick Santorum’s daughter has?’ So Bella Santorum has done a lot for trisomy awareness in a very positive way because I think that more and more people are seeing that children are living with it.”

Victoria Miller, the executive director of the Virginia-based Trisomy 18 Foundation, told the publication that the organization has seen a “10-fold increase in website traffic” since Bella made her way into the public eye:

“This has now happened twice, the first time being in late January when Bella was first hospitalized. That was the first time the national press came calling, saying what is trisomy 18? That’s certainly a priceless moment for awareness purposes.”

Some were quick to make ignorant, callous assertions that Bella “[ended Santorum's] White house dream,” so recognition of the sense of hope she and her dad give to the Trisomy 18 community is a reminder that his campaign left a lasting mark on less fortunate folks and encouraged many to never give up the pursuit of health and wellness.

TAGS: bella santorum | rick santorum

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