"Bella's Gift"

disclaimer:  I received the following book for free from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for my honest opinions.  All opinions remain my own.

"Bella's Gift"

by Rick & Karen Santorum with Elizabeth Santorum

  "Bella's Gift" is the heroic journey of one family's ability to challenge the system to keep their daughter alive even when others seemed to want the exact opposite.  Hear the emotion right from the people who experienced it.  

  Bella was born with Trisomy 18, also known as Edwards Syndrome.  What that means is that she had an extra eighteenth chromosome in every cell of her body.  It is a rare condition and one of which many doctors will tell you is "incompatible with life".  Of the 90 percent of Trisomy 18 babies who make it through birth only 10 percent will make it to their first birthday.  

  How can this family beat the odds, will their strength as a family and their Christian faith be able to overcome these odds?  

  Mommy in PA:  This story hits close to home in a couple of aspects.  As some of you I'm sure are aware, the Santorums are from Pennsylvania...like me.  And they have a child with special needs.  My son also has special needs (Type 1 Diabetes) but it is nowhere close to the life or death struggle they face everyday with Bella.

  This book has a lot of ups and downs.  You can feel the emotion as if you are there with them.  When the doctor didn't want to send them home with oxygen you want to be able to fight along with them.  You can also feel the extreme amount of love they have for Bella and the way Bella loves them back.  This is one of those families that everyone dreams to be a part of.  The close knit, siblings love one another kind.  

  The only thing that I really didn't care for in the book was some of the chapters about Rick's political campaigns seemed to drag on a little longer than my mind could stay focused.  Some of it was certainly pertinent to the story, but I feel that they just went a little too into detail in parts where it wasn't really needed.  

  I love how it feels like you know them, like really know them, like been family friends for years with them.  They don't hold anything back, you can really feel the honesty, even if it's something they were not proud about...they will tell you anyway.  That's what makes a great book.