Bella's Gift by Rick Santorum Read Free Book Online Page B

a moment like this.
    Rick continued on to Florida to campaign for the next primary. As he hit the trail, voters clamored for all the candidates to release their tax returns. Unlike the other candidates, Rick did our taxes himself, your average-Joe Quicken user. So, he had to return home to compile them for release.
    Back at home, we hoped Bella would mend quickly and not get worse. After trying every measure and treatment to help her turn the corner at home, I was at a loss to help my little girl. No color in her face. Breathing labored. As she let out a cry that turned into a cough, her heart rate soared even higher. It had been increasing since we’d returned home. Her lungs were filling. She had to get to the hospital. Providentially, Rick’s twelve hours at home to get our tax records came right in time for him to rush her to the hospital with me.
    Admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), Bella was stabilized by the medical staff. They attached tubes, probes, and wires. I watched, silently. I’ve done what those nurses were doing. I’ve put in more IVs than I can count and hooked up vital monitors, which means I know when they’re doing it right, and frankly, when they’re not. Those nurses did their jobs quickly and correctly.
    Bella was in critical condition: pneumonia in both lungs. Rick and I were exhausted and worried sick. If she kept declining, we would have to put her on a ventilator, a dramatic step that we did not want to take.
    Rick quickly decided he couldn’t leave with Bella in intensive care. We then faced a difficult choice: whether or not to release a statement about Bella’s hospitalization. We understood that if Rick left the campaign trail with no explanation, the news networks would speculate that he was a lazy campaigner, or worse, leaving the race. With the Florida primary just days away and three more primaries within the coming weeks, there was a lot at stake. All of this, however, was peripheral to our main focus: getting Bella through this crisis.
    Nonetheless, a decision had to be made. If we released a statement about Bella’s hospitalization, we risked intrusive reporters infringing on her privacy and the talking heads debating as to whether or not this was simply a shrewd political move. In moments like this, I once again turn into a momma bear with her claws out. I am fiercely protective of all my children, but particularly of Bella. Filled with fear and trepidation, I was not about to relinquish my little girl’s privacy only to have the world pick her apart. Rick’s perspective was very different from mine. By doing a press release, he hoped the world would see Bella as we do: as a beautiful gift from God. Her life would be a witness in and of itself, and maybe, just maybe, people would begin to pray for her.
    Rick’s staff laid the decision squarely on our shoulders. They shied away from any political talk, offering prayers and support. Rick and I went back and forth about the possible outcomes. What if people found out what hospital she was in? Would they try to catch a glimpse of her as fodder for the nightly news? A million thoughts ran through my head. I didn’t want to put her in the line of fire. But what if people did pray for her? We talked to a dear friend about the decision.He reminded us, “God gave you the gift of Bella, but her story is not your own.” He was right. After praying together, we decided to introduce the world to our little girl.
    The press release went out. We took a leap of faith that God would protect Bella and our family. Sitting in the tiny hospital room, Rick and I kept watch at her bedside that afternoon. As I read our drowsy little girl The Runaway Bunny , I glanced at Rick, who had fallen asleep sitting up in a chair. He deserved some shuteye. I don’t know if he’d truly gotten a good night’s sleep in the past year.
    Sure enough, he was awakened a few minutes later by the buzz of his phone that never seemed to stop. New