A friend of mine from work passed this story along to me today, as she knows I’m a Rick Santorum supporter. My co-worker’s husband is an old high school friend of Brad Smith, the father featured in this story, whose daughter was also born with the same genetic disorder as Sen. Santorum’s daughter, Bella Santorum: Trisomy 18. From the story in the U.K. Daily Mail:
When a Michigan family was looking for answers to help their sick daughter in 2010, the last place they expected sound medical advice was from a man who would one day be running for president.
But Brad and Jesi Smith found answers from then-Senator Rick Santorum to help their then 22-month-old daughter Faith.
The smiling brunette girl suffers from the same genetic disorder – Trisomy 18 – as Mr Santorum’s youngest daughter Bella.
The Rochester Hills, Michigan family told the Detroit Free Press about their incredible encounter with Mr Santorum two years ago, and the advice the family claims saved their daughter’s life.
When Faith was born, doctors said the outlook was bleak. She was diagnosed with Trisomy 18, a genetic disorder that causes heart defects, kidney problems, delayed growth, and a small head.