"The news does not look good," Caldara said Thursday night at Children's Hospital.

His daughter, Parker, turns 1 on Nov. 21.

Just last week, the proud father had e-mailed pictures of his daughter in her Halloween costume. Parker was dressed as Superwoman but with a "P" on her chest instead of an "S."

Caldara titled his missive, "Parker, my superhero."

Caldara is the president of the Independence Institute, which bills itself as a free-market think tank. On Thursday, the organization announced the grim news to its membership.

"The prayers of thousands of people are going out to the Caldaras for the full recovery of their innocent little child," it said.

Parker was born just a few days before the institute's annual Founders' Night dinner in December. Last year, Caldara proudly showed off his firstborn and introduced his wife, Mara.

Caldara earned his reputation as an outspoken member of the Regional Transportation Board. He most recently led the successful fight to kill a monorail proposal.