Posts Tagged ‘Soraya’
Soraya succumbs to cancer at 37
7:46 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Celebrities| Health · Comments Off
10 May 2006
Thanks to a tip from one of our readers (thanks, Kathy) we were alerted to the sad passing of the beautiful and talented Latina singer Soraya.
Soraya, of Colombian descent, was not only an amazing singer songwriter, but she also became a powerful voice for the message of prevention of breast cancer among Latinas, lending her support to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. AP reported on her death in Spanish today:
The singer-songwriter, born on may 10 1969 in New York to Colombian parents, and who had been diagnosed with cancer six years ago, was about to celebrate her first decade of her music career.Soraya brought the 12 stringed guitar known as “tiple” to the United Stated and sang songs both in Spanish and English.
Soraya even spoke about the importance of prevention and embracing life as she was in the clutches of her illness, posting a letter to her fans on her web site which sends a powerful message, especially as we contemplate her death:
I am confident that my existence will leave a mark on your lives, and will benefit the future of many women, and that the light of my own life will illuminate that of many other families’, reads the letter on her web site.`I am not losing this battle today because I know that my struggle has not been in vain, but that it will help win a larger battle, that of early detection and prevention of this terrible illness.’
`Now it’s your turn to continue with our mission’
I hope with all of my heart that I can transmit to you my love of life and the you be a channel by which many people may receive this message which could save their lives.’
VL originally wrote about Soraya’s struggle with cancer back in September.
Related:
Listen to Soraya’s interview with NPR in 2002
Soraya’s web site (currently down)
Via / Frontera.info
Latino celebs down for a cause
1:20 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Activism| Celebrities| Entertainment| society · Comments Off
8 Feb 2006
IBLNews has a piece outlining the various social causes that Latino celebs are supporting. It’s a pretty thorough rundown of what the stars are calling important to them. Here’s a quick summary:
Shakira: Children affected by political strife in Colombia, “guitarras para la reconciliación nacional”
Soraya: Breast cancer
Juanes: Land mines, “guitarras para la reconciliación nacional“, ambassador for AIDS prevention campaign “Youth AIDS”
Juan Luis Guerra: Public health issues
Thalia: Prevention of premature births
Ricky Martin: Child pornography and trafficking
Don Omar: Drop-out prevention programs
For a more thorough description of what the stars are doing in support of these causes, read the whole article.
Soraya, a 36 year old Latin Grammy winner from Colombia, faced breast cancer and beat it. Now she is a spokeswoman for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, and she is reaching out specifically to Latinas.
The following exerpt from the Miami Herald article, “Singer a voice for breast-cancer victims”, explains why it is important to reach out specifically to the Latin community:
Dr. Sandra Franco, co-director of the Memorial Breast Cancer Center at the Memorial Cancer Institute in Hollywood and Pembroke Pines, said some patients who grew up in Latin America fear diagnosis and treatment.
“There is a feeling in these patients that breast cancer is a more deadly disease than it really is,” said Franco, who is Colombian.
Latin American countries don’t have massive breast cancer screening campaigns. Treatment, drugs and support groups are less available than in the United States, she said. The message about early detection isn’t trumpeted. In Colombia, 80 percent of the cancers diagnosed are at an advanced stage, Soraya said.
The article later quotes:
“If there were more campaigns, more media involvement, more celebrity involvement like with Soraya, it would be normal to talk about breast cancer,” Franco said. “The stigma would go away.”
Soraya has dedicated her song “Por Ser Quien Soy” as her survivor song. It can be downloaded on her website in exchange for a $1 donation to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
Hola!
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- Vigil for Marcelo LuceroThis Evening in Patchogue, Long Island, NY
- VL At The Cine: The Fourth Kind
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