Santorum Admits Young Daughter to Philadelphia Hospital, Cancels Sunday Morning Campaign Appearances

The commitment to the family has been a central focus of Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum's campaign. With that in mind, it comes as no surprise that the former Pennsylvania senator has put his campaign on hold Sunday in order to care for matters at home.

POLITICO reports that Karen and Rick's youngest daughter Isabella "Bella" Santorum has been admitted to a Philadelphia hospital, and all of the candidate's Sunday morning campaign appearances have been canceled.

"Rick and his wife Karen are admitting their daughter Bella to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia this evening. The campaign will cancel Rick's upcoming Sunday morning Florida campaign schedule. However, Rick intends to return to Florida and resume the campaign schedule  as soon as is possible," Santorum communications director Hogan Gidley said in an email to POLITICO Saturday night.

Bella was born in 2008 with Trisonomy-18, a serious chromosomal defect, and Santorum has discussed Bella's health and condition on the campaign trail before.

"I have a little girl who's 3 1/2 years old," he told Christian conservatives in Iowa before winning that lead-off contest.

"I don't know whether her life is going to be measured - it's always been measured - in days and weeks. Yet here I am. ... because I feel like I wouldn't be a good dad if I wasn't out here fighting for a country that would see the dignity in her and every other child."

The Associated Press notes that when voters ask Santorum about his daughter, he calls the decision to campaign "gut-retching" but says he goes forward for all special needs families.

Santorum had been scheduled to appear on NBC's "Meet the Press" and attend church in Miami Sunday. Officials have not yet canceled Sunday's afternoon events in Sarasota and Punta Gorda.