Bella Santorum Admitted to Hospital

Bella Santorum, the youngest daughter of Rick Santorum, has returned to the hospital.

"Rick and his wife Karen have taken their daughter Bella to the hospital," Santorum spokesman Hogan Gidley said in a written statement. "The family requests prayers and privacy as Bella works her way to recovery."

Bella suffers from Trisomy 18,  a rare, genetic disorder that kills about 90 percent of children before or during birth. Bella, 3,  has defied the odds. She had been admitted to the hospital in January with pneumonia and Santorum briefly suspended campaigning. Bella had a "miraculous turnaround" in January, the GOP presidential candidate said.

It's unclear what caused this more recent hospitalization.

The former Pennsylvania senator often talks about his daughter on the campaign trail. He says Bella did have multiple hospital visits her first year of life, including an incident so serious that Karen, a former neo-natal nurse, was able to intervene and perform CPR on Bella and rush her to the hospital in time.

The Santorums also tell the story of when Bella was first born. Because of the gravity of her condition, they would have birthday parties daily, then weekly for Bella as she got better, to celebrate her life.