When Parenting Trumps Politics

GOP Presidential Candidate Rick Santorum, with his
young daughter Bella.  (TV Screenshot, Dick Bergeron)

At mid-afternoon today, Rick Santorum, a former member of the U.S. Senate from Pennsylvania, formally announced suspension of his race for the GOP nomination for President of the United States.

Although Santorum was far behind Mitt Romney who is increasingly viewed as the putative GOP nominee, Santorum surprised many political observers with his come-from-behind win in the Iowa Caucus and his subsequent, unexpected additional wins in other primary contests.

But Santorum’s victories still were not enough to close the gap between him and Romney to sufficiently offer a realistic challenge for the GOP presidential nomination.
     
However, it may have been another, much more personal family matter that convinced Santorum to suspend his campaign activities.  Father of seven and a fervently faithful Catholic, Santorum spent Good Friday at the bedside of his young daughter Bella.

She suffers from an affliction commonly known as Edwards syndrome, a very serious chromosomal condition which, for most patients, leads to an early death.  Once before, during his current campaign, Santorum had to rush back home to be with Bella after she was rushed to the hospital for treatment.

Over the Easter weekend, in consultation with his family and, presumably with his advisers, Santorum decided bow to out of the race.

No one – except parents who experience the enormous angst that accompanies worry over the fate of their own children who suffer daily from major illness – can truly understand the emotional roller coaster ride which this places on a family.

Today, Rick Santorum made the right decision for the right reasons.  Family concerns should always trump politics.