From:
On May 13, 2008, the Santorum family welcomed their eighth
child into the world. Isabella Maria was born with a rare genetic condition
called Trisomy 18, or Edward's Syndrome. Only 10 percent of children with
Trisomy 18 are born alive, and 90 percent of those children do not make it to
their first birthday. Faced with these bleak statistics, doctors told the family
to prepare for Bella's death. Instead, they chose to celebrate her life.
Over
the next six miraculous years, the Santorum family adjusted to life with a
special needs girl—and watched her transform the lives of everyone around her.
In many days of sickness and joy, she became an inspiration to her community
and, ultimately, to the nation. Bella’s Gift details the peaks and valleys, the
joys and sufferings, and the incredible value of life with a special needs
child. In a world that often measures worth according to usefulness, Bella’s
story is a reminder that our real value lies in our capacity to
love.
AUTHORS
Karen Santorum
Karen Santorum is a former
neonatal intensive care nurse and attorney. She is the author of two books:
Letters to Gabriel and Everyday Graces: A Child's Book of Good Manners. Karen
and her husband of almost twenty-five years, Rick, are the parents of seven
wonderful children: Elizabeth, John, Daniel, Sarah Maria, Peter, Patrick, and
Isabella. Her greatest role and love in life is being a wife and
mother.
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Rick Santorum
Rick Santorum, a
native of Pennsylvania, was a candidate for the Republican nomination for
president of the United States in 2012. He served in the House of
Representatives from 1991 to 1995 and in the Senate from 1995 to 2007 and is the
author of several books, including the 2005 New York Times bestseller It Takes a
Family. Rick's most important role and love in life is being a husband and
father.
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Contributor: Elizabeth Santorum
Elizabeth Santorum graduated magna cum laude
from the University of Dallas. During the 2012 Republican presidential primary,
she spent a year campaigning across the nation on behalf of her father, Senator
Rick Santorum. Appearing on CNN, Fox News, NBC, and many other news outlets at
twenty years old, she became one of the campaign's most requested speakers.
Elizabeth has spent time doing mission work in Uganda, is currently a John Jay
Fellow, and absolutely loves being a big sister.
ENDORSEMENTS
Max Lucado
pastor and best-selling
author of Before Amen
Life takes sudden turns. The horizon brings unexpected
storms. The road we walk is prone to go from smooth to rocky in a matter of
steps. No one is spared the difficult path. Rick and Karen Santorum weren't. The
birth of their daughter Bella was a birth into a life they never asked to
enter. Their faith was tested, their futures were rerouted. And, as a result of
it all, they are different people. You know the Santorums as public figures in
the halls of Congress and on the trails of a presidential campaign. You are
about to know them as parents of a special girl. Their struggles, fears, faith,
and fortitude -- it's all in these pages. I urge you to read this book. Life
takes sudden turns for all of us. And we need wisdom from a family who has kept
their balance and stayed on the road.
Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar
parents on TLC's 19 Kids
& Counting
We love the Santorum family and the way they love children
like God loves children. Rick championed the bill to end partial birth abortion
in America. The Santorum family has tirelessly fought to return our nation back
to the Christian values our country was founded upon. Bella's Gift will inspire
families and marriages to draw close to God through the joys and the hard times
of life.
Sean Hannity
television and radio host, author, and
political commentator
I have gotten to know Rick, Karen, and their family
really, really well over the years. This book is a love story from two parents
who walk the walk as husband and wife, father and mother. In typical Santorum
style, they pull no punches, but they will also pull at your heart and your
soul.
Greta Van Susteren
Fox News Channel
personality
Bella’s father was a Fox News Contributor so I have known about
this little child since the day she was born. She is nothing short of
amazing—she has beaten all odds! This book is a touching love story about how
this very challenged child enriched her family . . . and anyone who meets her.
You will be enriched—and inspired—by reading her story.
Archbishop Charles Chaput
One of the joys of being
alive is to see love in action and the indelible mark it leaves on the world.
Karen and Rick Santorum have written the kind of extraordinary book about their
daughter with special needs that moves the heart and stays in the
memory.
Michael G. Lamb M.D. and Kathleen G. Lamb M.D
Bella
Santorum's story is one that all medical professionals should read and profit
from. Her and her family's struggle, besides being inspiring, is also medically
enlightening. Too many members of her medical team assumed that her situation
was hopeless. This was not so much from a lack of caring as it was a lack of
knowing. A detailed, careful reading of the medical literature on children with
Trisomy 18 reveals that these children do not have the dismal outcomes that some
so-called experts claim. In rare disorders like Bella's, there really are no
experts. The ideal professional will yearn to become the expert, seek the truth,
know the facts, and assess the entire situation. He or she needs to know in
detail all about the child, the medical condition, and the family situation.
Only then is one able to really offer good care. Unfortunately, the tendency to
'write off' children like Bella is all too common in modern American medicine
with its bottom line, dollars and cents, mentality. Hopefully this book will
help to change some of that.
Mark Levin
lawyer, author, and host of The Mark Levin
Show
Bella’s Gift is a must read. I've had the privilege of enjoying family
dinners at the Santorum’s home with the entire family, including Bella. I've
witnessed the love that she has for her family and they for her. Bella’s story
reminds us that love requires sacrifice, an idea that is becoming increasingly
lost in our selfish society. Read it. You’ll be moved, inspired, and encouraged
by the story of this little girl and her heroic family
George F. Will
syndicated columnist
The radiant
truth about special-needs children, such as the Santorums’ Bella, is that they
give to those around them something that we all need. This gift, that suffuses
every page of this marvelous book, is the reminder that every life is sanctified
by the capacity to receive and respond to love.
MEDIA INQUIRIES For press inquiries regarding Bella's Gift
please contact
Emily Lineberger at
emily.lineberger@harpercollins.com
Copyright © 2014 HarperCollins Publishers.
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Leona's Review:
First, no matter what your political views are, this will
touch the hearts of all. A moving book about a little girl that has stolen the
hearts of those who meet her and the ones who have seen her on TV or read her
story.
I knew that little Bella had this disease as she was in the
news when her father was running for president. He quit the race for his
family.
I lost my husband of almost 57 years of marriage in January
and maybe this is one reason this book touched me so deeply. Life is precious at
any stage of life, before and after birth.
The descriptions of Bella giggling and her smile was visual.
The reader follows the struggle and tears of the family as well as the family
fun times. The Santorum have much faith in God even with the trials they have
with a child who needs constant care.
Every other chapter is written by the parents of Bella. When
reading, you want to reach out and give them a hug. Each chapter begins with the
word LOVE.
There are pictures in the book which add to the feelings of
the book.
The other children play an important part in the lives of
their parents, each other and Bella.
I saw this book offered to read and review on
booklookbloggers. I almost did not read it because of my stress at this time but
I am so glad I did. I really made the decision after I saw the Santorums and
Bella on FOX more than once. I had to read a chapter of at a time but that Is
OK. It is a good family read.
This would make a wonderful gift for parents who have a
special need child.
I received a complimentary copy of Bella's Gift to read and
review. The opinions are my own.
Leona Olson
