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Rick Santorum's daughter Bella was born with Trisomy 18, a chromosomal disorder.
At age 3, Rick Santorum’s daughter Bella, who has been hospitalized for the second time during his presidential campaign, has outlived the majority of children born with Trisomy 18, a relatively common chromosomal defect that occurs in one out of every 3,000 to 5,000 live births and is three times more common in girls than boys.
Children with Trisomy 18, also known as Edwards syndrome, have three copies of chromosome 18, instead of the normal two, in their cells. Many pregnancies with affected fetuses miscarry, and half of all affected babies who are carried to term will be stillborn, according to the Trisomy 18 Foundation. Most cases aren’t inherited but occur as a random error in cell division during the formation of eggs and sperm, according to the National Library of Medicine.
About 5 percent to 10 percent of children with Trisomy 18 survive the first year of life, and they often have severe intellectual disability, according to the library, part of the National Institutes of Health.
“They usually die from inability to breathe,” says Dr. Larry Fenton, director of pediatric palliative care at Sanford Children’s Hospital in Sioux Falls, S.D. “The mechanism of the brain telling the lungs to expand frequently is defective.”
Still, “while the developmental disability in children with Trisomy 18 … is significant, it is important to recognize that children do advance to some degree in their milestones,” Dr. John Carey, a pediatric geneticist at the University of Utah Health Sciences Center, writes on the Trisomy 18 Foundation’s website. “They can interact with their families, smile and acquire some skills, such as rolling over, self-feeding, etc., if they survive infancy.”
The reason for Bella's current hospitalization hasn't been released.
"Rick and his wife Karen have taken their daughter Bella to the hospital. The family requests prayers and privacy as Bella works her way to recovery," Santorum Communications Director Hogan Gidley said in a statement.
In January, she was rushed to a hospital in Virginia when she developed double pneumonia.
A small number of children with Trisomy 18, usually girls, live into their 20s and 30s, according to the foundation. However, the organization says, they have “significant developmental delays that do not allow them to live independently without assisted caregiving.”
Those who do survive beyond their first year usually can’t talk or walk and need some sort of a feeding tube in order to get nourishment, Fenton says. Although they are able to breathe, they’re likely to die eventually of pneumonia or other infections, he says. Largely it’s because they spend a lot of time in bed. "They don’t do the kinds of things that help clear the lungs, so they are much more vulnerable to infections.”
Recently, Fenton says, he met a 30-year-old woman with Trisomy 18, the oldest person he’d ever met with the disorder. “I would have to say she was profoundly disabled on the one hand and beautiful on the other. She was impeccably dressed. She had makeup on. She clearly knew her mom and dad and could reach out to them.”
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Not a fan of Rick at all. I think he was born with "head screwed on backwards" disease. But I feel for him and the family and hope his little girl does well.
Edwards syndrome? You'd think we could leave the children out of it.
The Santorums are fortunate to have great health care insurance. This child probably would have passed long ago if her parents were among the uninsured.
That's why Santorum is for public healthcare for himself but is against it for all the rest of the U.S. citizens who don't have any healthy insurance and are as lucky as he is. He wants it all for himself and his ilk.
ronald f, isn't it interesting how the President and Congress have opted out of the Obamacare they want to force the rest of us to deal with. Does that concern you?
How have they opted out of it? They've written themselves in...
http://www.tnr.com/blog/the-treatment/rumor-wont-die
Hey texas isn't it ineresting how the president and congress can opt out of a health program and still be covered by another, perhaps the public option as an example? Does the fact that people who don't pay for coverage are covered by those of us that do, bother you?
Typical "something for nothing" teapartier.
If you have insurance through your employer or you purchase your own, Obamacare does not effect you one bit. Stop the fear mongering. No one is forcing you to get Obamacare if you already have insurance.
ronald you cynical despicable cur. Taking a cheap shot at a time like this to spread your bile is a new low for humanity.
I don't know if they can opt out of the health-care or not. What I do know is that my Rep(serving for 50 years or so) has never participated in the government health-care program and does not contribute to the govt pension plan. He has stated numerous times that the House or the Senate don't need those programs as he and they can easily afford to pay for services and retirements. They own businesses and have huge investments that keep them in the lap of luxury.
They're already rich, why should they even get a salary from taxpayer money? Turn that money towards lowering the national debt.
Those who have tried to turn this into a way to score political points should be ashamed of themselves. No matter what you think of Santorum's politics, he is dealing with having a very sick little girl. No father should ever have to go through what he is going through with his daughter. I hope that his daughter recovers from her current crisis and turns out to be one of those who beat the odds and has many more years ahead of her. No matter what you think of Santorum, it is obvious that he cares greatly about his daughter and would do anything in the world for her. I wish the Santorums the best and hope they can take their little girl back home from the hospital very soon.
Politics aside, I feel sorry for this little girl and I know this is really hard on her Mom and Dad. My heart and prayers go out to this little girl and to the Santorums. I hope their little girl beats the odds!
Come on, JS. Everyone here would do anything they could to help the child.
But many people have children who are sick and can't have the quality of care that the children of politicians have, and that's just wrong.
I wish them well knowing how frightening and heartbreaking it is for parents to have a sick child. That is something that is common to all of us.
However, I wonder if Santorum ever thinks how a parent no where near his means with wealth and great insurance would face this. Most children would not be covered or would be dropped because of a life-time benefit that would quickly expire with such serious conditions. All parents should be able to take their sick children to a hospital without fearing great debt or bankruptcy as he does.
I think his statement about being against abortion, even when a child is deformed or to be born with a serious condition, should think about how many parents simply don't have the means to care for a child like this. If he wants all children to be born, then he should support a single payer system.
DRK: You may think of it that way, but the rest of the people think that they didn't want to enroll in it themselves because they knew what it would be like. In other words, hypocrisy.
But wouldn't this disrupt everyone else's coverage as well? If this was the better plan, wouldn't they want to disrupt their coverage in order to get it?
I understand what you are saying, however unlike Obama and the other members of Congress, if Obama's healthcare coverage wasn't enough, there would be no way that most people can afford to pay for it out of pocket like they can. I think Obama's healthcare plan could use a lot of work.
actually @Jeff Henderson it's not a cheap shot at all. Bella is alive today because, and only because, the Santorums are extremely rich, can afford the best of medical care (including, but not limited to, 24/7 nursing care and having expensive medical equipment at home) well above what the average upper middle class family with really good insurance could have - and they don't have to worry about lifetime caps on insurance as most families facing catastrophic illness do. The fact that they pretty much have to face the possibility of fatal illness of their child almost every day is heartbreaking but it doesn't alter the fact that they have a means of support well beyond that of other families to give their child world class care or that they do stand in judgement of families who face the same or worse diagnoses during pregnancy who think it's kinder to the child to terminate the pregnancy than to watch them suffer and die.
The children with Edwards who live longer. like Bella, usually have a milder form of the disease (due to translocation or only having of part of extra chromosome 18; many cases, however, contain a full additional chromosome which is more severe).
jcsmine
Hey texas isn't it ineresting how the president and congress can opt out of a health program and still be covered by another, perhaps the public option as an example? Does the fact that people who don't pay for coverage are covered by those of us that do, bother you?
Typical "something for nothing" teapartier.
No different than how things are currently. Who do you think pays for the uninsured now? Just as taxpayers pay for roads that EVERYONE can drive on, and schools that EVERYONE can attend & fire departments that EVERYONE can call on in times of trouble.
Are you suggesting that ONLY people who currently pay taxes be allowed to ride on those roads, attend those schools and use fire dept services? Or would you rather live in a world where even the poorest have a way to get to school, are educated, and know that if the school catches fire, the fire dept is on its way. I'll take healthy & educated neighbors any day of the week. And if everyone is paying in, it costs us all less in the long run.
I hope Bella does fine and does beat the odds ( i have two daughters, and can sympathise) however, i cand stand the pRick Santorum.
Another thing i noticed, people who have turned this into a political argument......Whether you are a democrat or a republican.....whether you voted for GWB or Obama.....you should realize that they are all the same.....yes Obama and GWB are the same (with different haircuts).....
GWB gives us the patriot act....Obama extends it and tops it with the NDAA...
GWB gives us a war on terror.....Obama (claims to get us out) but now is gearing us towards Iran.....
The President is not the powerful man many think he is......Ben Bernanke is more powerful than the president.....If Ben Bernanke mabe Obama suck his ****, Obama wouldnt even bring a cup to spit in!!!!
There is no difference between the Rep and Dems.....just a way to keep you and me fighting eachother.....clever!!!!
I feel bad for all of santorum's children, not just this one...
anyone who has to grow up with such a douche bag as your primary male influence is already at a disadvantage...
spoken like a true "tolerant" and "peaceful" and "no war" "self righteous" liberal who thinks its everyone else's fault for the human condition and the storms we face , and that if we close our eyes all problems will go away, and yet when it comes down to it you show your true hate. this article is not political and its about a disease that gets little attention and the handicapped and the weak and the sick , the perverted and blind are Gods potential glory because of sinful nature. But if you want to bring the politics in it, there is nothing wrong with working harder for your money to pay for things, the government should not be in the form of commerce it is promoting right now with Obamacare, it is not fear mongering but a legitimate crossing into uncharted territory where government never has been. If people work , well then they can can buy things and it is there freedom and choice to do so, not enforced with penalty by the government. Frankly pretty ticked off that somehow liberal agenda has manged to convince people that working more and making something of your life and getting some money in return is a horrible thing. Santorum is a dad providing for his family, like many american dads attempt to do, and when we struggle with that we find a way, we pray and go out and work as long as we can and as hard as we can to get what our family needs. You do "YOUR HOMEWORK" you activist complaining terrorist who is anti American and anti founding fathers who gave you the liberties through their brilliance and understanding of the rights bestowed upon all humans by our provident God and Lord. Go follow your charlatan environmental "so concerned" Gore crowd as though they are not rich? You are the one on the wrong side of history, so usher in socialism , if you win this battle , you will see the proof will be in the pudding as by the end of Obamas second term the poor neighborhoods will look worse and the middle class will begin looking like third world , many people are poor and many people are weak but come not to the Lord and many are poor and stay low because they never move or love or even try and that is their right and choice, but you cannot force people to pay for others over and over when they consistently never turn that resource into something and multiply it for their own security and their own future. We all have to face hard times and we can all cry victim, but the fact is we need to trust God in the storms and face the hard days together and face it and go with it, even when it is all collapsing you go get it, you work and try and keep the faith and keep striving, not surrendering to government hand outs as a normal option and way out because the financial and economic aspects of our awesome health care system was flawed and needed re structured, not the whole system itself. We are the state of the art hospitals and facilities but it does not come cheap, its the money side that needed re written not the whole damn system to be in control by a government whose track record for such things outside of private sector is always a failure and a poorly run operation that is always laden with debt.
DRK-
Run a fact check. Contrary to the White House’s video, member of Congress in the House Ways and Means Committee already have exempted themselves from a government-run health plan with the defeat of an amendment by Rep. Dean Heller (R-NV). The amendment, which would have required members of Congress to enroll in the newly created public health insurance plan, failed with 21 Democrats voting no.
Ricky can thank the American TAXPAYERS - gay, straight, white, black, and indifferent for paying his kids' health insurance.
Jeff Henderson, you're suspended for a day for violating #1 of the Code of Honor.
Your second sentence - addressing the 'bile', not the person - is fine.
I feel for there family, in Nov.2011 we lost our 18 mo. old Granddaughter to SMA and it is horrible to go through something like this. I don't understand why he would have even thought about running when he has a Child who is that sick. Although he probably won't struggle like our family did being he probably has the BEST medical care possible and can afford more than what we went thru. Especially when it was toward the end and by daughter and son-in law had to take medical leaves with out pay because someone having to be up with "Maddy" 24/7 and they didn't want to leave her side knowing they would lose her soon. I do pray they don't lose their "Bella" because it SUCKS!!!! It has been just over 5 months and everyday we all think about her.
As far as him running, thanks to him we have to work til we are 72 years old!! Let's see him do physical work til he is 60!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
...then let's set politics aside and not talk about it on this thread....
Saying that and then continuing to talk politics is not setting it aside....
My prayers for the little girl and for strength to Santorum and his family ...
You can all pray as much as you want, but the fact remains that this child, should she survive will never be able to function independently. Her condition is different from Trisomy 21 ( Down's Syndrome). Despite my feelings for Rick Santorum's hypocritcal beliefs, I feel sorry for his wife and him. This girl will be a huge burdon as she and they get older. Luckily for them, they are wealthy and will be able to afford nursing care for her. Others in similar situations are not that fortunate.
Prayer is an amazing weapon against any sickness.Of course our prayers are with the Santorum family.
Prayer's purpose is to clear the conscience of those incapable or unwilling to actually do something constructive to fix the problem.
JCSmine; Prayer has been shown to help people in studies but when the evidence goes against hate and vitriol I expect the left to not listen to it.
Prayer has not shown a consistent ability to accomplish anything medically substantive. One study here and one study there is not how we determine viability. Hypotheses must be consistently tested and retested. Prayer has had plenty of time to prove itself more effective than random chance and it has failed to do so.
jcs,
sometimes everything anyone can think of has been tried and there appears to be a failing result soon to come. Later we come into the room and find that mother nature or God, has located and applied the remedy.
Twice, I have held some one who had stopped living and they jump started again, on their own, without machine assistance, inserted tubes into veins or arteries, or any medical people around.
Both were terribly ill, one leukemia and the other equine encephalitis. The first is alive 31 years after having a bone marrow transplant. The second never had the disease diagnosed until two days after waking up. Told they were only one of two known cases who survived without proper treatment.
Looking at the bell curve of distribution, looks like a sigma 12. Thank God is what we say here even if mother nature is the path used.
So I hope and pray the Santorum family has good pediatric help and a blessed miracle if needed.
Pacem and happy Easter.
31 years 'after a bone marrow transplant'. you should be praying to the doctor and cursing the supernatural entity that 'created' a person with such a hideous disease. Indeed as devout as the santorum family is and as much time as the likely spend praying, his family should have a super-immunity to diseases that effect only one in thousands.
This is a sad situation, there is no doubt and I'm not callous to Santorum's family or any other family struggling with hardship but this idea of prayer helping is destructive. It allows a lazy person to do nothing of substance and then feel good about it. People of conscience need to stop asking "Santa Clause For Adults" to help and start getting up and doing something about the ills of this world.
@Jake...what makes you think those of us who lean to the left do not pray? Typical right wing silliness...is it like an article of faith among the conservative ilk to presume that anyone who voted for Obama does not love Jesus or America or pray?
My prayers today are with little Bella. Though I do not agree with much of anything her father has to say, his beloved child is suffering, and I feel for him, his wife and his family, and those who love him.
Despite their politics, their income, the value of their insurance, their parenting standards, whether or not the power of prayer can be proved or whatever else any of us bring up to throw at the Santorum's to distract from the nature of this article, I just hope, and PRAY (hoping that it does some good) that their beautiful child does not suffer. In the same vein, I pray that the family suffers the least amount possible, and that that such tragedies in this ol' world become rare to unheard of, and that we become kind and take care of each other rather than lean toward the cynical, cold-hearted beings that exist on these forums.
This story is about a disabled little girl and her family, NOT politics, not race, not insurance, not not not not ...
Now, God bless you all, or whatever. Just sayin'...
actually the power of prayer can be measure.
supernatural entity is the US Navy nuclear contractor in Winchester, Virginia who had a red neck employee just happen to open the peephole as 15 invited students touring the facility walked by.
Thyroid cancer, leukemia and another type of cancer appeared subsequently for 12 of the students. Of course, one of my hundred heroes hadda get the leukemia.
I am still a strong supporter of navy nuclear propulsion and our fleets. Please build a merchant marine. We have 55,000 idle shipbuilders available and ready to go.
Please notice that candidates cannot have private lives anymore. Cannot use more than 4 words to communicate an in depth policy position. Cannot admit they have had no sleep for three days and are running on empty (sleep deprivation). Therefore, we should be more understanding and considerate when they mis-speak, from and for either party.
I don't understand why a childs illness turns political... Or why theology debates need to start over it.
I'm agnostic, if it helps the family I'll say a prayer out of respect for them.
If I don't agree with the politics of the parents I'll put that aside because it's a child we're talking about and no child should be the target of adults even if we don't agree with the parents.
I'm a proud Obama supporter, Democrat, black man and father.
And my thoughts are with the Santorums during this stressful time.
Jake, wouldn't JESUS be a liberal & therefore a leftist by the standards set forth today. protesting greed at the temple (occupying), feeding the masses with the little available fish & bread available (socialism), standing up to the establishment (occupying), and martyring himself for his cause ? i am always confused as a liberal lefty when i hear about people today doing as JESUS did back then and somehow they are bad. there is a great youtube presentation; scott walker & JESUS: a conversation that i hope all that read this will watch. really amazing.
I think Santorum is one of the biggest bafoons I have seen in the politial ring, but my prayers are with him and his family. I hope everything works out for the Santorums.
JCSMINE suggests that prayer is used in place of action. This is patently false. Research out of Stanford University's Hoover Institution demonstrates that people of faith who attend church regularly are more likely to donate time and money (and donate greater amounts) to both religious AND secular causes. In other words, not only to volunteer at church, but also to volunteer at a hospital or give money to the Red Cross or whatever.
Ergo, people who pray are statistically MORE likely to be getting off their butts and doing something about the world than those who do not. It is not, as JCSMINE suggests, an either/or proposition. I find it ironic when people who claim devotion to logic and evidence based thinking fall so easily into vapid generalizations, false dichotomies and counterfactual suppositions, such as JCS has done. I guess, in the end, we're all creatures of faith and superstition.
hmm steve, guess you never met my boss. he can donate thousands to the church but can't pay his employees a livable wage, commits welfare fraud, snorts coke, runs all his personal bills through the corp. he can find time to volunteer at church but cant find 3 days a week to see his infant son or marry his baby momma. food banks? what are those and why donate, they can get food stamps he should know half his employees are on 'em. he can't even understand animal rescue- thinks it a ridiculous waste of time and money and the people are pompous asses. he is pretty much the embodiment of the reason people hate christians
know what's even better at fighting disease and sickness- money and resources!
Nowhere have I suggested an either/or proposition. I stated prayer does not work and is used by lazy people to remain lazy. Does this encompass all who pray? No, but every minute praying could be used doing something constructive like volenteering. Although I do not know anything about this Stanford study, it makes sense to me that people who attend church regularly volenteer more often than the general public. I don't believe any more so, though, than any other community group or organization.
I'm not saying attending a church or praying makes you bad... necessarily. What I am saying is prayer by itself has no effect on the outcome of any medical condition or procedure. A Duke study actually showed a negative effect on ill test subjects who were told they would be prayed for.
just to be clear, I find the duke study to be suspect as well
Looks like she never can "do well" by "normal" standards, but I hope-n-pray all kids with this and other fatal issues can be happy and comfortable for as long as they have. FYI: My cousin wasn't supposed to survive her first month, but lived until her early teens. We (the whole extended family) did our best to make her comfortable and happy while she was responsive and enjoyed her smile for the entire time we had it. It wasn't easy, but it was worth it and we are glad we had as much time with her that we did. If I were Bella's parents, I would be home with her while I could. Go for Prez some other year, Santorum, your girl needs you with her while she's still here. I'll make plenty of political cat-calls on the next election trail. As for this year, I have only one thing to say to you: Go home, your daughter needs you.
Infants born with Trisomy 18 require A Lot of care and attention
Little Bella's parents should make her care PRIORITY
Go home Santorums....go home and take care of your family
There's is NOTHING you can do for this country, Rick
Bow out of the race and go be a REAL father
Not everyone has a millionaire father or top notch health care. This child would have live only hours if she had been born to an African American.
What the heck does race have anything to do with it?
......and if you believe God creates all children, then maybe Bella was supposed to die naturally (instead of being kept alive through extreme medical care).
The parents nurture, but it's the child whose brain can't even tell her when to breathe, that is suffering through a short life -- one that will come to an end sooner than later.
Race has everything to do with health disparity in the US. Look up race based infant mortality, cancer survival rate, etc. It's your choice to keep your head in the sand but don't criticize those who know more than you.
You are disgusting Richard and a very bigotted racist!
Just another bigot looking for attention.
@Kent and USA/Canuck...race has a LOT to do with poverty, infant mortality, and the disparity of wealth, unfortunately--in a country where everyone is supposed to enjoy some level of equality, no less. How many black people (or most people of ANY race for that matter) can afford this level of care for their sick children or themselves that Mr. Santorum gets for himself and his family--as the gap between the haves and the have nots continues to widen?
This health care which he gets from us taxpayers...by the way, though he reviles those he claims are "on the government teat".
I am however, very sorry for him and his family that such a horrible thing is happening to his little girl.
To Richard, Do you mean if the child was born to Obama or Will Smith or the many millionaire African Americans? Shut up!!! Pray for the child, or cross your fingers or whatever you can to help the child, but close your racist pie hole!!!!!!1
I was wondering when race baiting would start.
richard has a very good point, and I wonder why some of you disagree so vehemently. you can read actual stats and facts that back him up.
however, I would have worded it a little less divisively- This child would have live(d) only hours if she had been born to AN AVEREAGE AMERICAN...
even the average white person doesn't have nearly this kind of money.
Although I understand why Richard is arguing his point and feel for him, I don't believe he is correct. Race doesn't have much to do with health care. The reason those rates are higher in African-Americans is actually because of wage disparity. African-Americans make less money than whites, they get less benefits than whites, they tend to live in poorer enviornment than whites, and because of their low pay and living conditions they are more prone to infectious diseases, and have a harder time being properly nourished. A higher percentage of African-Americans are poor and thats why the stats are higher. If you look at poor-white people compared to poor black people the stats are pretty similar, and if you look at rich black people compared to rich white people the stats are pretty similar. The problem, that Richard im sure is trying to convey, is that for an increasing majority of Americans can not afford health care at all. That's why Obamacare needs to be accepted. I understand that a majority of people are against it, but the minority of people NEED IT, DESPERATELY! We work hard to feed our kids, provide shelter, and education, but we can't afford the medical cost too. A majority of people were for Jim Crow laws back in the day, a majority of people were for the war in Iraq when we first entered into it, and a majority of people were against Bush getting elected the first time. In America, its not always the majority that is right. It is about doing the right thing for the future. Its whats doing what is right for all people in America not just the majority. We need Obamacare. You might not need it, but we need it.
So hypocritical that Mr. "Family Values" man has been galavanting across the country, feeding his ego pursuing the Presidency, while his child is home suffering without her father present- he should get his priorities stragiht, practice what he preaches and put his family first, his ambition and ego aside, and be PRESENT in the life and struggles of his little girl.
I'm pretty sure that little Bella doesn't suffer when he's gone. They usually have a lot of developmental delays. They truly live in the moment. I am sure she's happy to see him, and just as content when he's gone.
All I know is, he's fortunate that he is a father, not a mother. If he were female, people would be jumping all over him for not spending time with his very sick child rather than pursuing a losing presidential campaign for months on end.
I'd be pissed if I was to care for a sick child alone at home while my husband is out chasing his dream/ambition. I bet Santorum won't be caring for Bella alone if his wife decides to run for congress, president...... He'll say no way Jose, a woman's place is in the kitchen.
If I was Rick I would not be running for president. My family would come first but that is me.
I wish the best for them.
Now if only we could get the minority (liberals and conservatives) to leave the majority of Americans alone. Party Politics.
seems Bella's mother is by his side every time I see one of his speeches. how about the real question we seem to be afraid to ask our selves. Since viability is considered to be 20 months for females would you consider quietly terminating the pregnancy in the privacy of a medical office or induce the birth earlier so you could take the infant home to meet with the family as they choose with the earlier pregnancy. lots of opinions. few good choices. how about holding your hysterical opinion unless you have a child.
The child seems to have a medical problem that could bankrupt soooo many families. It's a matter of how much does the insurance company pay. How effective is the treatment given. I will tell you one thing. Without obamacare, the odds are stacked against santorum.
The cost of medical care in this country is staggering. Twice as much as the next costliest country. While effectiveness of treatment in this country is sooo sooo low. The combination of the two problems is why our country is rated #40 in the world. Way below other industrialized countries.
I tell you obamacare addressed these issues. It would be a shame if the court repealed it. It might ultimately be the only thing that can save santorum's kid as well as keeping santorum out of the poor house.
He doesn't need obamacare he has taxpayer care
Santorum doesn't need Obamacare. Being a former U.S. Sentaor he has the best health care out there for the rest of his life. It's way better than Obamacare is or ever will be. I wouldn't be surprised if it even covers his children way past their 26th birthday the limit now given with Obamacare. That Santorum would roll back if he were able to do so. He would never give that up and even attempt to take Obamacare let alone be on a standard medical insurance plan. Afterall he thinks he's better then everyone else.
We need to remember that Mrs. Santorum is a nurse. I believe they only get a nurse in for care when she is gone, or needs a break. It would still be expensive, but not as expensive as for the regular person. I'm a nurse, and I wouldn't have a problem taking care of a young child, such as Bella. Being its Mother, would be much more stressful, and would need breaks. But if she had to, she could take care of this baby just as well as anybody else.
You obviously know very little about Obamacare if you think it will do all you say. In fact, our wonderful President and all those wonderful Democrats in congress who saddled us with this lousy, and way overpriced Obamacare have opted out of it! If it's so great why don't all of them take it? I'll tell you why, they know it's lousy! Or were you too ignorant to know that?
Texas58 is spreading a lie. He may not be doing so on purpose. It is possible that he heard this lie on Faux News or some other source of propoganda, but his facts are simply incorrect.
This is the statement:
The president, congress, and yes, former congressmen, are REQUIRED to take insurance through Obamacare. They cannot opt out. They have not opted out. They voted by SUPER MAJORITY to opt in.
I have no expectations that pointing these facts out would cause Texas58 to become more educated. It is probably too late for that person. However, there is no reason to spread this lie to others.
Without Obamacare, Bella will always be labeled uninsurable due to pre-existing condition. No matter how much Santorum is willing to pay the insurance company will never cover a child that will cost millions just to keep her alive. Thanks to Obamacare, millions of children with pre-existing conditions now have insurance. You can spin but you can't ignore the FACTS.
Why don't all of you complainers saying that Santorum gets special health care, and Obama gets special health care, read up above about five or ten posts, where they specifically put into the ACA that government legislators, etc. will get their health care from the same exchange as everyone else.
i wish my fellow liberals would quit confusing the other posters here with the facts. what we really need this summer during any presidential debates is for the question to be put forth, one candidate to answer and then the other to answer, then a fact checked interjection by the moderator that is based on 3 non-partisan sources. then each should get one more chance to state their stand. sadly though, even with real facts, there will still be huge numbers of people that will just blame it on "the lame stream media" making false claims. it never ceases to amaze me that 40% of social security recipients do not think the government does anything that benefits them. as with most american perks, when you didn't have to fight for the perk you do not realize what life was like or the battle it took to get it before it came into being. not a santorum fan but my heart goes out to this child.
Isn't health insurance a wonderful thing, don't you think all Americans should enjoy the the privileges that your family does. Like nursing care?
Please stay home with your daughter, and don't waste any more precious time away from her.
Family first, you will never be the first family!
Like most people here I hate Rick Santorum with a passion, but I would never, ever wish anything bad for his family. Stay home with your daughter, Rick, and I sincerely hope she survives this ordeal.
I hope he realizes that if Bella was not his child then no insurance company would cover her since it hurts their bottom line. This is what he advocates.
I hate for facts to come into the picture, but this is what this man preaches.
To add to that, he and his wife made the choice to have this child when they can and should have prenatal screening. I know that a life is most precious thing, but bringing a child into this world to suffer until the day she passes is just too heart breaking for me.
In my opinion it's a selfish parent who brings a child into this world with a disease like this just to show the world that they would carry any fetus to birth. Just so they can say look at me i'm better than the rest of you look at what I did.
I think having this baby or not should be a choice made by the parents. Dr. Tiller was shot in Church for aborting babies with this kind of diagnosis. It takes over 20 weeks to have all the testing to confirm a tragic diagnosis so that's why it takes two doctor's to diagnose it and then he would willingly abort a child that would suffer for awhile before dying. And the Right to Life People were so pleased when Dr. tiller was shot. Its very sad, either way.
My Mother in law had a pregnancy where she found out that the baby had no brain. anecephaly. Then she had to wait 3 more months for it to be born. What a horror that would be.
ronald f: You are not only stupid, but evil. Where do you draw the line? Are you for going back to the eugenics of the early 1900s? Interesting that good old Adolph Hitler was such a fan of eugenics. Do you realize that Margaret Sanger Harris wanted as part of her Planned Parenthood activities the weeding out of undesirable races, like blacks? So where does it stop? Should we put to death every baby that screens as having a birth defect whatever it is? Do you realize those screening tests are often wrong? Come on smart guy, answer!
texas58, I think the stupid comment fits you much more deservedly. Also impractical, naive, bible thumper, simpleton, are other terms that come to mind when describing people like you. Nobody is talking about killing the child. There is a big difference between killing a child who is living on her own and pulling the plug on a vegetable with no chance of survival. Santroum is a selfish religious bigot and is keeping a child suffering thanks to 100s or 1000s of dollars in wasted healthcare resources that could go to much better use, helping people who actually have realistic odds or survival and recovery.
Prenatal screening has a problem of giving false positives. I have a friend who was told their child would have Down Syndrome and the doctor advised them to abort, but their daughter did not have DS and she is a wonderful and healthy mother now. By the way - I have a daughter with Down Syndrome and would not trade having her for any other child in the world. Those of you posting your cynical comments against Santorum have sunk to a new low for humanity. Those that claim humanism as their motto and revel at the pain of others degrade humanity. I am talking about you biteme and ronald f. You are the dregs.
Down's Syndrome and Edward's Syndrome are worlds apart. You cannot compare the two other than the fact that they are both caused by a triplicate of a chromosome. People can have healthy and somewhat independent lives with Downs -- this is not the case in T18 or T13.
Prenatal screening allows you the opportunity to pursue medical avenues that can sometimes cure problems before birth. It is SCREENING - if the screen indicates a possible chromosomal problem, an Amniocentisis can be administered to confirm the diagnosis. Prenatal screening can show things that can be corrected long before the birth and save the child from further medical problems during it's lifetime....and help parents be prepared at the birth for other conditions that could arise.
Just because a screen indicates a problem, it doesn't mean you have to abort. You are free to continue the pregnancy, but you and your doctors will be far better prepared at the birth. You woudn't want to attempt a home-birth if you know something is wrong - you would certainly opt to be in a hospital where they are ready to save your child's life!!
The choice to abort or not abort is a private matter, we should all respect that. The key point is that it's a choice we should not be denied. Routine prenatal screening is a simple blood test that has certain degree of false positive and false negative. It's a SCREENING test, not diagnostic. No decisions should be made without a diagnostic/confirmation test. Amniocentesis would be the diagnostic test if the screening test came back questionable. Amniocentesis can be done at 15 weeks. Another test can be done as early as 9 weeks is Chorionic Villous Sampling (CVS). CVS is very popular outside of US because people like to know if the fetus is healthy as early as possible. We shy away from CVS for numerous reasons, one being fear of lawsuit.
@mazking and @ronaldf- and what if by some great discovery, doctors find a cure for this dreadful disease and Bella would not be here because her parents would have listened to people like you. How do you think any parents would feel then. How can you say she is suffering, when she responds by smiling when she sees her father or mother? Every child is precious and deserves whatever chance at Life there is. Disregarding any religious or even an ethical argument, the MOST BASIC Right there is is guaranteed by The Constitution of the United States. The FIRST Right mentioned is the Right to Life. Without this most basic of rights, none of the other exist.
Screenings are worth their weight in gold, for most parents. I have an acquaintance whose child was noted to have spina bifida on the ultrasound. Most children with spina bifida are incontinent, unable to walk, etc. They sent the Mother to a very good clinic somewhere out of state, the mother was anesthetized, the doctor opened her up and patched over the spina bifida, which was quite extreme, I guess. Baby was born two months later, with no difficulties at all. I saw him run down the hallway when he was about 11 months old. Amazing things can be done IF we find them first.
I also know people who screened and had a positive- and the kids had the disorder, so what? jeez you can always have another fetus- pregnancy it isn't exactly hard to catch. and a cure? are you f-ing kidding me, how exactly would that work - its a genetic disorder, the very building blocks of life for those people are screwed from second 1. even if you caught it, then confirmed (which what happened to genetic screening dosent work?) the treated i assume by genetic manipulation, then what? the defect caused other physical problems like heart deformities, nerve deformation, brain abnormalities - you know all those problems that lead to death. the damage was done by the disorder as soon as they were formed. there will never be a cure for genetic diseases only treatments. Plus who are you to play God? I know you love that argument when it comes to abortion, but who are you to subvert Gods will when he clearly intends these kids to die but you keep them alive anyway. thats the argument with birth control, that you are preventing God's will from prevailing, so how does that not work when you forcibly keep a person alive God is obviously trying to take to heaven with him .
Trisomy 18 is not a disease there is no cure. It is a choromosome abnormality
CVs can be done but is expensive where I live.
Blood test or screening can be done 10-13 wks and again at 16-20 wks
ultrasound can be done for a positive screen and amnio can be done at 15 wks.
There are blood test coming about that are as valuable and accurate without the amnio and do not have the risk associated with an amnio.
How old was Ms S when she became pg with Bella?
And Willow
It DOES NOT TAKE TILL 20 WKS to be sure
amniocentesis came up as useful tool for pregnant women over 35 to give them an option to abort early. It is the sensible thing to do but for the people who feel they would never "kill" an embryo, no matter how defective, there is no medical help. They are stuck in their belief and have to live with the fact that potential in a human is something their "child" will never have. There is no potential for these children. That said, they should be financially responsible for their decision as it should not fall upon the community to absorb. They have a choice, but I do not want to pay for their decision.
Best wishes for Bella and the Santorum family. This situation is a perfect example of why we need universal, affordable health care. The "most Americans are opposed to it" polling defies belief!
What makes you think her or any child with her condition would get the treatment she is receiving if we had universal healthcare? There is only so much money to go around. I doubt she would be so well taken care of in Canada or Europe.
Look at our public school system and the mess its in if you want to see how good the government is at handling something.
Yes, the majority of Americans do not like the ACA bill. However, what the Repubs do not tell you is that 28% of the people that do not like it is because it didn't go far enough. The majority that doesn't like it, does not mean they oppose the entire bill. It also means that about half of those wanted single payer or public option health care. But the Repubs are using this as an argument that Americans do not like the ACA.
how is this an example of why America needs universal healthcare?! very strange comment. America may need universal healthcare, but this actually an example of why universal healthcare can become impossibly expensive and bankrupt the country sooner than expected.
if everyone wanted to keep a vegetable on a machine for as long as their particular religion requires it with 100s of 1000s of dollars in bills, there is no way any amount of money can cover universal healthcare for all. though it may not fit into your head, the math will simply not add up.
I totally agree. The quality and quantity of health care in this country sucks. The wealthiest country in the world? NO...we are not. I know about hereditary conditions and chromosomal problems.
I am not a Santorum fan, but I am a fan of children. My prayers and best wishes go out to Bella and her family (yes, including Dad). I will add her to my prayers each and every evening.
Maybe it is time for Dad to focus on his family, rather than his political dreams. It is Bella's time. Not Dad's time. Maybe Dad's time will come later, or maybe, he will focus his time on the health care crisis this country is in. If he were not a senator, he would not have the coverage he now has. The rest of this country would already have bid adieu and buried their child. Thanks to the American taxpayer, Bella has a chance, when the rest of the kids in this country with this or many other conditions do not.
Think about that, folks.
Universal health care can set limits on what & how much it will cover. People have got to face the fact that there is not an infinite pot of gold; they will have to make the tough choices to personally pay for prolonging life or letting nature take its course. All the money being spent on Bella could cover lots of kids' insurance. We have been paying for hopeless care for so many years, it is past time we stipulate our limited money to care for the likely to survive-and-thrive patients.
Quality of life. And the end and anytime in between. It is, of course, an individual's choice and decision--or at least should be. You get to pull the plug, or leave someone in a vegetative state. Heartwrenching always. But if you care, you do what you truly believe is best for them. And you get to count yourself in as well. How much should you sacrifice your own life for someone who doesn't even know you are there--sacrifice in time, emotion and money. Your own well being. Every life is a blessing? I don't think so. To lie on the sun baked earth starving to death with flies covering you and your babies? This is no blessing. Not every existence is a blessing. And no one knows the mind of god, absolutely no one. The only thing any person can do is the make the very decision they can that is truly best for their family member and themselves and the other family members. If I knew I was carrying a child that had such tiny odds of even living who was going to suffer with breathing and other ailments during the brief time he or she lived, would never have any capability to understand his or her own existence, needed a feeding tube just to stay alive, I would not consider that a blessing for that child, nor for me to watch him or her suffer and fail. I believe god has nothing to do with these errors and did not wish this on this child. I do not think martyrs are admirable either. This is a sad story. Sad for Bella, sad for the other children in the family. And I agree with the other writers that if this family weren't wealthy with access to the very best insurance, it would be a devastating and family-destroying event to have this child to care for with her terminal condition that sends her frequently to a scary hospital with scary symptoms (try not being able to breathe).
anyone think Santorum would be so against abortion if he didn't have the health insurance that he has? I don't know that answer but he might have thought twice before continuing the pregnancy.
Wow...thank you for writing this...I think you conveyed so much of my thoughts and feelings far better than I ever could. We learned during our first pregnancy that our child had Trisomy 13 (Patau's Syndrome) late in my fifth month. T13 is very similar to T18, but the defects in T13 are usually more severe and the chances for survival beyond a few days are even more slim than T18. My husband and I were heartbroken, and we made the devestating painful choice to end the pregnancy. Before doing so, we investigated all avenues, and learned that our insurance would not cover any measures to save his life if he managed to remain alive thru the preganancy and survive a birth. In our situation, our child would most likely have suffocated to death when the cord was cut if he survived to that point (he also would have needed a heart & kidney transplant, but would never have been eligible for one). Heartbreaking. Painful. Really, there aren't words to describe it....nothing prepares you for the moment when you sit with a doctor and genetic counselor and they tell you all of these horrific things about the child you are carrying. As difficult as our decision was, I don't regret it. Allowing the pregnancy to go on was only prolonging suffering and an inevitably painful death....and placing my own health & life in jeopardy as well (the baby couldn't move, and was damaging my spine based on the position he was "stuck" in). I will always remember and cherish that child - I never saw his face but he taught me so much about life, acceptance and strength....and to never take a single day of life for granted. During the termination, some further complications were discovered, and had I tried to continue the pregnancy, it is with all likelyhood that the pregnancy would have killed me (not to mention left my husband alone and financially bankrupt).
My best wishes to Bella Santorum, although she is likely not destined to be here long. I have nothing but respect for the Santorum family, I only wish he would respect the decision that my husband and I made when faced with the same horrific situation. We aren't college-educated and have blue-collar jobs....we certainly could never have afforded our child the healthcare that Bella Santorum receives.
Thank you for your words above - you have no idea how much it means to people like myself....I spend my life feeling like no one truly understands what we mentally went thru with that pregnancy. Feels good to know when other people understand why we made the decision that we did.
I have a good friend whose baby had Trisomy 13. It is very sad. He was born, lived about an hour. The whole family has had difficulties with his birth and death. The parents divorced, the kids are having problems in school, and this was almost 6 years ago.
Everybody Pro Life hated Dr. Tiller, the abortion doctor that was shot. These are the babies that he aborted, and the Pro Life movement so hated him because they just kept saying, "He kills the babies that are over 20 weeks along." Well,, it takes that long to be sure. You have to do tests, ultrasounds, etc. to be sure. I am sadly pro choice, I wish there were no abortions, but I can understand that sometimes its necessary. Dr. Tiller was a hero, in my view. He did what needed to be done,, for the baby not to suffer and the family to move forward and try again. Thanks for your post. We need more of these so people may begin to understand.
Willow it does not take till 20 wks to be sure
the problem is most insurance will not pay but for one ultrasound at 16 to 20 wks, but screening can be done and if that is positive, then an ultrasound and amnio can be done at 15 wks
May the Lord God bless the young child and the family.
Why didn't "lord god" bless the child before she was born and make her a healthy child in the first place?
As much as I admire Santorum and his wife for being great parents to their child, I also feel very bad for the child's suffering since birth. This was the choice that the Santorums made because of their religious belief. Is the child sufferings worth it? On the other hand Bella is lucky to receive greatest cares that money can buy, that cannot be said for many other children do not have the privilege.
Actually, we are all paying for Bella's medical care because we are paying for Santorum's health care for life, and his pension.
Newt would have abandonded the child at first sign of a problem.
Correction: Newt would have abandoned the child and the mother.
It hurts so badly when your children are sick. I hope she recovers once more for her family.
if you know nothing about Trisomy 18, and how incompatible with life it is, you shouldn't throw your mindless opinion and statement around.
have you had a baby with T18? is not, you shouldn't throw your mindless opinions and statements around.
This is a blatant example of how healthcare resources are wasted where they shouldn't be. What is the point of keeping an infant, with no chance of survival, alive on extremely expensive medicine?
Let's get this right. Prayer has nothing to do with this vegetative being making it past the 1st year of life. It is 100s of 1000s of dollars doing it, trying very painfully to delay the inevitable.
Santorum is a very selfish mindless cretin for wasting all this money to keep a vegetative being suffering on machines and medications. Trisomy 18 is incompatible with life and if there is a God, he intended it that way. Don't mess with God's or nature's will. Most women in this man's wife's situation would have opted for a therapeutic abortion by the 13th week of pregnancy when this condition is easily diagnosable. But this extremely selfish woman continued the pregnancy causing much suffering to the child and others.
That's ok it wasnt' his money that was used to pay for the health insurance. Perhaps we should use the republican logic on him and be responsible for his own self. Therefor he should be paying for all of the health care out of his own money and not from the health insurance he gets as a former senator.
This child would have suffered either way. After 13 weeks, the abortions are very brutal and the child suffers immensely. A 13 week abortion consists of dismembering the child in utero. Of course Mrs. Santorum would not want this disease for her child just like no other mother would. However, it is a an awful thing when society can justify a mother directly killing her child by abortion. Mrs. Santorum is a very unselfish woman for having this child and taking care of this child until the child passes away. We must ask ourselves what we have become when we can say that tearing a baby to pieces by the hand of its own mother is better than allowing the child to meet its natural and yes, unfortunate demise. We must remember that we will all face death, whether young or old but the reality of death becomes even more cruel when an unborn cant even depend on their mother.
At age 3, Rick Santorum’s daughter Bella, who has been hospitalized for the second time during his presidential campaign, has outlived the majority of children born with Trisomy 18. Only because her father is a rich senator that gets top notch taxpayer funded medical care. Exactly why do only a few get top notch taxpayer funded medical care. Why is it when someone is shut out of the medical system because they are not rich enough to afford the absurdly high premiums, or afford medical care out of pocket are called leaches when they are left with no choice but to turn to a public program to get healthcare, yet the rich people (such as our politicians) who have public medical care are not deemed to be leaches?
While I will certainly pray that Bella receives whatever blessing the Lord deems righteous, whether that be survival or death, I have to agree with the other posters who pointed out that were it not for Rick Santorum's status as a former Senator (who therefore has the best insurance possible, at taxpayer expense, for the rest of his life), on top of his personal wealth, Bella likely never would have survived beyond a few weeks. Yet, Mr. Santorum is stumping around the country, saying essentially, that millions of children like Bella, who suffer with terminal illnesses, should be robbed of the healthcare that has kept his young child alive beyond expectations of most medical professionals. So I ask this to Santorum, and everyone else who opposes Obamacare, why is it that Bella Santorum is more important that Suzy Jones, or Johnny Doe? Do they not deserve the same chance at life as someone who was lucky enough to be born to a former United States Senator, or otherwise wealthy parents?
A 30-yr old with Trisomy 18... "she was significantly disabled....but she was impeccably dressed and had makeup on..." WHAT? Is that a life?
I have worked in long term care/hospice for over 20 yeas. And while I can see that they should put clean clothing on her, why would they be putting makeup on her? Comb her hair, keep her clean and dry. Change her shirt if her food gets all over it, but come on. I worked with people in vegetative states for years. We love them, we hug them, but nobody puts make up on them. Once in awhile a CNA will put a necklace or a bracelet on, which probably doesn't match their impeccably clean old clothes. but it keeps them busy, its something for them to play with.
I feel for the girl I truly do, I feel bad for all his children, to have a father like that is horrifying, he is not even a man ,how can he be a good father, not to sound mean but maybe the little girl is better off without him , if she ends up passing away though, I guess they can bring home her lifeless body and sleep next to her, just like they did with there last child, so I guess not all will be lost.
empathy400 (ironic alias if there ever was one)
This response is horrid.
It is a symbol of all the hate the far Left and Right have engendered. A pox on both your houses.
Unfortunately, your selfishness, and those on both sides like you, will tear the country apart and harm us and our children's children just to warm your spiteful little hearts.
Please go to another country and never grace this country's voting booth again.
Why do people that have child with special needs seek the limelight? Sarah Palin constantly pawned her mentally challenged son off on family members while she sought the spotlight, too. I can't figure it out. I have a sister that is mentally challenged and my mother made my sister her priority. She would not have pawned her off while she searched out the national stage looking for the applause. People thought Palin was so great that she had a mentally challenged son. It sure as heck wasn't her taking care of him.
One thing I always wondered with Sarah Palin and her boy. Why did they do an amniocentesis to find Downs Syndrome? The needle amnio can cause miscarriage if done wrong. Why would she risk doing an amnio if she is going to continue the pregnancy anyway? One only does an amnio if there is any reason to abort. One does not do an amnio if abortion is not considered. I always wondered about that. I have had religious friends that are Pro Life. and the doctor will ask them if they want to do an amnio, and they always tell him, "NO, because we are having this baby regardless. " Wonder why Palin did?
I never even thought about why Palin would consent to the amnio. It's very true that there is miscarriage risk, even if it is performed perfectly. Perhaps they wanted to be sure, and the 19-week ultrasound measurement of the nuchal fold can indicate a possibility that the child has Down's. Maybe in her case the nuchal fold measurement brought about the possibility, and they wanted to know for sure in advance....still doesn't really make sense if you are not willing to consider termination. Why take the risk?? Prepare for the worst, and hope for the best if KNOW you are going to continue the pregnancy either way.
I'm going to be flamed for this, but I don't care. I think it's extremely narcissistic and selfish to bring children into the world who will never have a chance to live as an independent person, will die extremely young, and probably live in pain.
Willow people do an amnio to be prepared for what lies ahead if positive not just for abortion and if a negative amnio comes back then no more worries!
And there is risk for abruption of the placenta or amniotic sac with a perfect amnio performance and even then they may continue to carry. An amnio is done with ultrasound guidance of the needle to reduce risk.
And Lindy you are partially correct the nuchal translucency can be checked in the first trimester, nuchal fold can be checked at 16 wks, screening 10.3-13.6wks and again serum at 16-20wks, triple screen 15-22 wks. Amnio at 15 wks. the majority of these are complicated
as a young person (26) who was given risk factors during routine blood work for trisomy 18 in my first pregnancy, the amount of crazy info people spew as fact drives me nuts.. however the WORST is that a person would only consider an amnio if they are considering abortion... at no time did abortion EVER enter my mind. however, providing care of my son the best possible way was a factor... and as an US showed a heart condition, I needed diagnosis in order to be accurately treated by cardiology.... if you've never been in that position, don't claim to know why a person would or wouldn't do something.... it just makes you an ass.
I feel for the little girl....and also think what a dumb mother she has to have her child at 48...The odds of your child having some form of abnormality after 35 is MUCH greater...Karen should have known better to have any more kids, and now this child will suffer her whole life because her parents were selfish and stupid...I guess they are lucky to have great health care, because average people wouldn't be able to get as great of care for their child who had this abnormality as the Santorum's.
Corey,
Rick Santorum and his wife are catholic. Given his public statements opposing birth control, it is possible (although I cannot say for certain) that they were not practicing any form of birth control, even though she is not young.
As such, she may not have made a decision to "have a child" as much as she made a decision to "not prevent a pregnancy." Same result, but different mindset.
Cori
odds are for over 45 a 1 in 25 chance of DS
I do not like the politics of Rick Santorum, but as a parent myself, my heart goes out to the family. I think its easy to judge when sitting on the sidelines and viewing ones life problems until we have actually been in their shoes. I believe that if this child was meant to not survive, she would not have no matter what technology there is. I think each of us are here for a duration for one reason or another and when we have served our purpose then we move on. My prayers to the family and for little Bella.
First time that I've seen a picture of Bella. She is a beautiful little girl. Appropriate name.
Perhaps all our elected representatives should take this challenge : call an insurance agent and find out how much it would cost them to insure their family on the individual market... if they could get insurance at all. Maybe that would clarify the situation for some of them. Perhaps members of Congress shouldn't have benefits not afforded to their constituents. That being said.. the macro perspective... on a micro level, I hope Bella is as happy as she can be for the time she is with her family on this earth.
You sick people who are using this as a political platform. I pray for your souls.....wanna know why this country is in the state its in? Look in the mirror. Come on now -bring on the insults....they dont bother me in the least.
don, not going to insult you. I agree totally. people should all be praying for this special little angel, Bella instead of being heartless and using politics. I couldn't agree with you more. God Bless
After reading the comments of all these compasionate, liberal people all I can say is WOW! That you can pass judgement on people continuing their careers, having a baby and letting God decide when she passes and then advocating that when you take over health care it will be much better is amazing. Your comments and the fact that so many are wanting to use this as a politcal story as opposed to a amazing feat of fighting for life convinces me more than ever that I don't want someone else deciding when and how much health care I get to receive. What a bunch of hypocrites!