Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and his wife Karen say they wrote their latest book to encourage other parents who have children with disabilities.
"You look at the high percentage of divorce among parents who have disabled children — that's part of what motivated us to write this, to give people an inside look," the former presidential candidate told George Stephanopolous on
"This Week" on ABC News.
The Santorum's book
"Bella's Gift: How One Little Girl Transformed Our Family and Transformed a Nation" is set to be released on Tuesday, in which they detail the experience of their family when they learned that their youngest daughter Isabella had a chromosome disorder called trisomy 18.
While most children who are born with this disorder don't make it past their first birthday, Bella will turn seven in three months, they explained.
"She's been healthy. She's doing great [and] stable. A joy to our family," Karen said.
Both Santorum and his wife wrote their own chapters in the book to give the perspective of both a mom and a dad.
"The great thing about this book is it gives two perspectives — [Karen's] as a mom, as the fighter, as the person who was going to do everything," the former Pennsylvania senator explained.
"And my perspective, as the dad trying to manage everything and, as you heard, I found myself trying to be a little detached," he said.
"Moms and dads handle things differently" and "it's not easy," Santorum contends, but he said that they learned that "these kids are a gift" and "every life is worth it."
According to Karen, "this book was really written for parents who have kids with disabilities — that's why it's so transparent. They inspire us. They're amazing.
"The message is that every person matters," she added.
Santorum has said that he may run for president again in 2016, but he told ABC News that "we have a lot of other factors to consider in making that decision."
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